


The Official Atsuhina Committee

by Singe_Apathyen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Everyone ships them, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22859293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Singe_Apathyen/pseuds/Singe_Apathyen
Summary: “Your presence was requested today in order to tackle one of the biggest first world problems that exist.” Osamu somberly announced to his little audience with a faraway look in his eyes. Tension in the room grew tenfold, the weight of his words sinking in.He proceeded to flip the giant portable whiteboard on wheels he had behind him, revealing four big eye-catching words on it.THE OFFICIAL ATSUHINA COMMITTEE“May the first meeting commence.”
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 191
Kudos: 605





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Bruh, I can't believe this is the first fic I've ever written in my life.

The soft sunlight streamed through the apartment window, lighting up the living room with a soft glow.

Usually, there was a normal set-up of a couch, a coffee table, a television set and maybe a few pillows for that homey touch. Normal furniture for one’s living space.

But apparently not today, because the room seemed to have gotten a makeover, becoming the unrecognizable nerdy girl at her prom night in a bad sitcom, her new look causing the male lead to finally fall for her.

The room was also filled with many people who did not actually live there and who had only the faintest idea of why they were here on a pleasant Saturday afternoon.

“Welcome everyone,” grimly stated Osamu, who stood from the front of the room, gaining the focus of everyone present.

He took a few lazy paces back and forth for that dramatic effect (as if the situation wasn’t already dramatic enough).

He closed his eyes only to open them a few seconds later and made eye contact with almost everyone in the room, causing chills to go down some backs.

“Your presence was requested today in order to tackle one of the biggest first world problems that exist.” Osamu somberly announced to his little audience with a faraway look in his eyes. Tension in the room grew tenfold, the weight of his words sinking in.

He proceeded to flip the giant portable whiteboard on wheels he had behind him, revealing four big eye-catching words on it.

Everyone marvelled at the swirls of different colours and elegant calligraphy of whiteboard marker words that clearly showed that too much time was spent on it for a full-grown man.

**THE OFFICIAL ATSUHINA COMMITTEE**

Osamu let a little smile dance across his face as he took in the response, a bit proud of what he had planned.

_The things I do for you, twin brother._

He sat back in his seat feeling accomplished, cheerily folding his hands together.

“May the first meeting commence.”

* * *

Sakusa wasn’t sure what he expected when he got the cryptic as hell text message from Osamu.

He was casually enjoying a free day off from volleyball practice by just doing some casual apartment cleaning. It was one of the things he found genuinely relaxing and was one of his go-to distractions from any headaches he endured from interacting with others. But that was interrupted when his phone made a light ping indicating he received a new message.

A solid minute had to be taken to fully process the weirdest elevator pitch Sakusa had ever received.

**From: Miya Osamu**

  
_Do you suffer from watching my whipped twin pin after the literal personification of the sun? Tired of hearing Atsumu wax poetry about Hinata’s smile, poetry that would leave even Shakespeare shaking in his grave? TORTURED by the urge to just trip that ugly fake blond into Hinata’s arms to save us from this dragged out courtship?_

_You have been cordially invited to be apart of a solution._  
_1 pm. Please follow the directions below to reach the meeting location. The door will be unlocked. Refreshments will be served._

_P.S. YOU HAVE TO COME._

_Thanks In Advance!_

Now, Sakusa was in no mood to get involved with silly shenanigans, he already dealt with those enough thanks to the ‘delightful’ personalities of his volleyball teammates but the offer was pretty appealing.

He shuddered as he recalled the many moments, the many painful to watch moments that he had to witness every single day due to Atsumu’s obvious crush on the short orange-haired spiker.

The longing gazes that spoke volumes, the pats on the head or brushing of hands that lasted a little too long to be considered entirely platonic and the full-on blush that Atsumu wore every time Hinata got too close to his personal bubble. How the setter looked like he was constantly ready to slam Hinata on to the nearest hard surface.

It was absolutely sickening. It made Sakusa want to spray Atsumu with Febreze.

Sakusa looked up at his clock on the wall. It was about half-past noon, so technically he did have time. He hummed as he quietly debated the situation with himself. Osamu also did mention refreshments and he was a bit hungry after cleaning all morning.

He sighed, putting away his cleaning supplies. He picked up his coat and slipped a surgical mask on as he exited his apartment to go to what would hopefully not be a mistake.

It was about five minutes past 1 in the afternoon when he finally reached what was just the Miya Twin’s apartment.

Turning the doorknob hesitantly, he mentally prepared for whatever Osamu was planning, but it seemed like all his expectations were blown away.

In the living room of the Miya Twin’s apartment, there was a large rectangular table, the sort of cliche set up that you’d imagine would occur in meeting rooms of giant business companies. He couldn’t help but wonder where the hell Osamu put the couch and TV that should have been in its place, the apartment was only so big.

Occupying the seats of the table were mutuals he recognized such as Bokuto, and some fellow members on his volleyball team, the MSBY Black Jackals. Seriously, on his one day off from these fools, grouchily brooded Sakusa when he saw them.

He was a bit surprised to see Kageyama and Ushijima, players from the team that was one of his team’s biggest rivals. Though they were relatively friendly with each other after the huge game they played at Hinata’s debut, it was still unusual for them to interact outside of volleyball.

The oddest thing he noticed was a laptop sitting at its own table at the front of the room so that its camera could view everyone at the table and everyone could see the screen. It was currently on a video call too. Sakusa saw a boy with odd pudding coloured hair on the screen, who’s attention seemed to be occupied by a gaming device in his hands.

Everyone seemed to be leisurely talking with each other while munching on onigiri (most likely Osamu’s from his shop) like this was just your everyday social gathering.

At the head of the table was the man of the hour, Miya Osamu, who was sitting with his head propped on his hands and his gaze locked on Sakusa entering the apartment. He gave a cheerful grin and friendly little wave.

“HEY HEY HEY!! Omi-Kun!!” shouted Bokuto with onigiri in his hand, waving it like he was trying to guide a plane on the runway with it. And Sakusa was apparently the plane. “What took ya so long? We’ve been waiting like forever for you!!”

Sakusa cringed as they all looked his way and offered their greetings. He still had one hand on the door and could totally sprint out of here if he so chose but he recalled the contents of the text message that got him to come here in the first place.

He reluctantly closed and locked the door behind him, sat down on the nearest office chair (how did Osamu even get so many of these so fast?), took off his surgical mask and put it in his pocket.

“Somebody pass me an onigiri.”

* * *

“Okay!” Exclaims Osamu, clicking open a pen in one hand and holding a clipboard in the other. “Let me just do a very quick double-check on the attendance so we can be on our way.”

“Hmmm let’s see, we have our two Schweiden Adlers here right? Kageyama Tobio, the previous setter and one of the closest friends of Hinata and Ushijima Wakatoshi, who totally respects Hinata now and who has had many encounters with Atsumu pining after Hinata, correct?”

“Yup.” They both answered in unison, nodding their heads, not fazed by what must have been the weirdest introductions they have ever heard.

“DAMNNN Wakatoshi-kun, you've seen Atsumu’s pining in action?!” Bokuto shouted excitedly, leaning forward in his chair.

Ushijima did not seem dazed by Bokuto’s enthusiasm which ticked off Sakusa who was jealous of this trait. “Ah yes.” He answered flatly. “One of the most memorable memories I have of Atsumu doing this said pinning was during one of our friendly joint practices.”

“I was merely just eating my lunch in the cafeteria when I saw Atsumu talking with Hinata by a wall. It seemed that Atsumu was getting awfully close to Hinata, almost caging him against the wall in a poor attempt at a kabedon.”

“Woah woah woah, hold up.” Interrupted Osamu, who put his hands up in a stopping motion. He quizzingly looked at Ushijima. “How do you know what a kabedon is?”

Ushijima responded in a monotonous voice. “I learned about them when I was reading some manga with Tendou. It was in the scene right beside an advertisement about shampoo for male baldness.”

“Ah.” Was the collective response from everyone in the room.

“So as I was saying, right when Atsumu seemed to be five inches away from touching Hinata, the small thing slipped away under his arms and left in a hurry, something about remembering an urgent thing he needed to do.”

“The look of dread Atsumu had on his face after Hinata left was quite pitiful. I wished I could have helped, to prevent others from having to watch this happen, especially when they are just minding their own business eating lunch.”

Ushijima shook his head sombrely, “Like really? Right in front of my salad?”

The sound of someone spitting out water could be heard from the laptop.

Osamu clapped his hands together to distract everyone from thinking too much about what Ushijima said. “All right, thank you for the lovely storytime Ushijima-san.”

“You are most certainly welcome.”

Sighing, Osamu went back to going through the list. “Anyways, back to roll call. Ah, famous YouTuber check! Kodzuken or Kozume Kenma?”

Kozume placed down his Nintendo Switch and gave a little tired wave through the screen of the laptop set at the front of the room.

“Kenma is fine, I’m glad that someone is finally taking action on this. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the actual location since I had a stream finish at 1pm but I’m glad to be here through a video call.” He said stifling a yawn, trying to politely cover his mouth. He wore an oversized red sweater that didn’t seem like it belonged to him.

“Shouyou deserves to be in a happy relationship and I rather smash my Switch into pieces then continue to feel the second-hand embarrassment from Atsumu.” Kenma ended with a deep shiver that made Osamu want to close the open window he had.

When Osamu thought about what Kenma said, he realized something didn’t make sense to him.

He opened his mouth to question him, “Wait Kenma, I know you’re particularly close with Hinata but how have you been able to feel embarrassment from my brother’s lovesick actions when I don’t think you two have actually met?”

An loud ear-piercing guffaw came through the laptop and black pointy hair covered the screen.

“Obviously we both follow his thirst account on Twitter!! Kenma and I have a routine where we read his tweets together before going to bed. That way we can reassure ourselves that no matter how bad our day was, at least we aren’t at such a low point like Atsumu!”

The new individual looked like he just dragged himself out of bed, though the front of his black shirt was wet, perhaps from spilling water?

Bokuto abruptly stood up from his seat, almost rivalling his speed on the court.

“Oh my god!” He cried. “Oya??”

“Oya Oya?!” The screen responded.

“Oya Oya Oya!!” They both said in unison.

Kenma sighed. “Please shoot me.”

The new black-haired individual laughed good naturally, “Sorry for interrupting so suddenly, Kuroo Tetsuro at your service and I was invited to this meeting as Kenma’s plus one!”

“No, you weren’t.”

“Yes, I was.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“Yes, I was.”

“... No, you weren’t.”

Kuroo took his place beside Kenma on the bed the latter was occupying. They both took equal amounts of space on the screen and Kuroo smugly had one arm wrapped around the smaller boy’s waist.

“Sooooo as I was saying, we’ve been ACTIVELY following the ‘Atsuhina’ journey thanks to Atsumu’s thirst account for Chibi-chan! Y’all heard of @iwanttobeinthesun ?” Kuroo asked.

Kenma beside him wrinkled his nose in distaste as Kuroo said the username, he couldn’t believe how Kuroo casually said it out loud as if he was just reading from a children’s picture book.

“God have I ever?” Osamu admitted forlornly, whipping his phone out. “You guys are aware of its existence right?”

“Yup.” Said everyone in unison, taking out their phone and going to the bookmarked twitter profile they all had.

“I have post-notifications on for the account.” Muttered Sakusa.

The thirst account only had a couple dozen followers (many from the people in the newly established committee or previous/active volleyball players) but it had over a thousand tweets, each one more desperate than the last (if that was even possible).

This account became Atsumu’s own diary about his “secret” harboured feelings for Hinata, tweeting about every thought or interaction involving the ridiculous courting process for the sunshine boy.

Osamu knew that Atsumu had blocked Hinata from ever seeing the account but he’s surprised that Hinata hadn’t found out some way or another.

“OOH!!” Cried Bokuto, visibly vibrating with eagerness. “Can we do a dramatic reading of our favourite tweets?” Bokuto exclaimed giddily. “I have a bunch saved!!”

Osamu tried his best to maintain order, “Now now, we’re a bit behind time so -“

“I want Hinata to punch me in the face so hard that my twin would feel it!!” Readout loud Bokuto.

“Wait a fucking minute -"

“My turn!!” Yelled Kuroo through the laptop. “Went biking with Hinata yesterday and he’s just soooooooo good at riding his bicycle how good would he be at riding on my -"

“I BEG YOU TO STOP.” Sakusa sternly pleaded.

Kenma cleared his throat quietly. “ Sometimes when I’m alone, I cover myself in vaseline and slide around my apartment pretending to be a slug to cope with the fact that Hinata Shouyou doesn’t love me.” By the end of it, Kenma had a small grin on his face.

“BWAHAHAHA!” Obnoxiously cackled Kuroo from beside Kenma, clutching his stomach in pain from laughing so hard. Judging from everyone else’s reactions around the table, they found it equally amusing.

“Oh, I actually have a few too that I particularly liked.” Added Ushijima, scrolling down what seemed to be a long list on his phone. “I had Tendou help me analyze and break them down to find the symbolism and intent that Atsumu crafted in his tweet.”

Kageyama beside him flinched as he had war flashbacks about his Japanese and English classes in high school.

“I particularly liked the one that said, “What you doing out here with all this ass? Double cheeked up on a Thursday afternoon?” And after some deep research, I’ve deducted that what he’s trying to say is -"

“ALRIGHT.” Bellowed Osamu, slamming his hands on the table like they were gavels. “Yes, my brother is quite, ah, colourful on twitter but this a tangent to revisit at another time!” He concluded with a bright fake smile, running a tired hand through his hair, feeling exhausted from their screwing around.

“Okay so Bokuto, Sakusa, Black Jackals blah blah blah you guys are clearly here, big whoop EVERYONE IS HERE. YAY.” Osamu finished at lightning speed in a single breath, trying to wrap up attendance before anybody could interrupt and distract the group.

“Ah!” Osamu suddenly exclaimed. “I didn’t introduce myself officially. I’m Miya Osamu, lover boy’s twin and the better twin! And if I have to hear Atsumu rant about Hinata at 3 in the morning one more time, I will not hesitate to pull a Van Gogh and cut off my ear.”

He then flipped the whiteboard at the front of the room back to the empty side and used his teeth to bite off the cap of a black whiteboard marker.

Osamu gestured to the board, trying to get his audience to catch his drift.

“With all the different, er, types of people we have in this room, I’m sure we can all pitch in some ideas of how to get the two together before we’re buried six feet under.”

Bokuto shot his hand up, waiting to be called on like the class pet in elementary school.

Rolling his eyes, Osamu humoured him by going, “Yes, Bokuto?”

Grinning wildly, Bokuto started to explain his idea.

“Well, I’ve noticed that Atsumu dotes around Hinata like a personal helicopter, and every time Hinata has the smallest injury he freaks the heck out!”

Everyone nodded along. “That’s nothing new but go on.” Osamu encouraged with a nod, his hand with the marker hovering over the whiteboard as he prepared to write out the committee’s brainstorm.

Bokuto continued, adding more giant hand motions along the way, “So I was thinking what if we just like stage an accident where Hinata is somewhat injured, perhaps slightly unconscious too, I’m not sure, we can tell him to take a nap or something-"

Sakusa started to rub his temples.

“And this will cause an overflow of emotion in Atsumu, seeing the literal love of his life hurt, making him realize he should confess right on the spot!”

When he was done, he raised his hands up with a look that said he was expecting some sort of grand applause. Everyone blankly stared at him. Osamu wasn’t sure if he should erase, “Injure Hinata” or leave it up.

“Bokuto-san,” Kageyama gently began. His face was contorted as he tried to find the words. “That might not be a good idea for someone who is a professional sports player.”

“Whaattt?! It doesn’t have to be like a super serious injury, Atsumu practically starts bawling when my number one disciple gets a papercut! This would totally work.” Bokuto responded determinedly, the passion for his idea flaring in his golden eyes.

A soft chuckle came from the laptop in response to Bokuto’s retort and everyone turned to look at the huge smirk Kuroo was flaunting like a peacock in mating season.

“Thank you for that thrilling display of mediocrity bro but uh, I think I’ve got you beat.” He cooly announces, having some sort of ace up his sleeve.

Bokuto glared at Kuroo as if he could shoot lasers out of his eyes through the screen. “Oh yeah, bro? Hit us with it then.”

“Alright kids, picture this!” Kuroo started, spreading his hands to make a camera out of his fingers, almost elbowing an irritated Kenma in the face.

“It’s just another day at practice for the Black Jackals when Osamu waltzes in with onigiri and coffee or tea for the players. But, UH OH!”

“Uh oh?” Osamu echoes.

“He trips and spills the mildly warm coffee or tea all over Hinata! Gosh, the poor Chibi-chan can’t play soaked in liquid so he strips off his jersey like he’s about to step into a shampoo commercial. This steamy view causes Atsumu’s nose to start bleeding and he just starts booking it out of the gymnasium before anyone notices his red face and red blood.”

“But in his wild rampage of trying to run away from his problems, he forgets to look both ways while crossing the street and gets hit by Kageyama’s truck!”

“Kuroo-san, I don’t own a truck.”

“AND THEN, Atsumu is lying in the hospital and I give him his checkup, telling him he lacks docosahexaenoic acid but otherwise will be fine. Hinata comes rushing through the door, tears plopping down his face, to check up on his dear teammate when Atsumu pulls him in for a sudden kiss!”

“He tells the boy that this near-death experience has made him realize that time on Earth is short and that he should go for the things he wants, and that all he wants is Hinata. Oh and Kenma can live stream the whole thing!”

Kuroo cackles as he wraps up his plan, “That my friends, is the only way to do this.”

One could practically hear the gears turning in everyone’s brains as they tried to take Kuroo’s plan in.

“I’m on board,” Sakusa announces.

“DUDE!” Bokuto shouts outrageously, looking like an owl who slammed face-first into a window. “You LITERALLY TOOK MY IDEA but MADE IT WORSE?!”

Kuroo childishly wagged a finger at him while beaming, “Nuh-uh, I made it like a trillion times better, sorry bro.”

Sighing, Osamu added “Injure Atsumu” onto the whiteboard. So far the list was looking good.

A hand raised and Osamu was filled with relief as the sensible and mature Ushijima volunteered to share an idea.

“When a farmer wants to breed for a foal or calf, a strategy would be to lock the two animals of his choosing in a barn, put some romantic music on in the background, perhaps even some fake candles or fairy lights and nature will take its course.” He finished proudly.

All Ushijima was met with was some blank confused stares.

“You know we’re talking about strategies to get Atsumu and Hinata together?” Kenma asked, bewildered about the sudden farm lesson he got.

Ushijima waved his hand in an “I know” gesture and replied, “Yes, I am aware, but I think that it can be applied to these two. If we just lock them into a room together, it might encourage them to make out, or get them in the “mood”.

Kageyama nodded stoically in agreement, “Hinata does seem like some sort of animal, it could work.”

Not sure how to paraphrase the plan, Osamu wrote, “Breed for Baby Cows???” On the whiteboard.

“Well I’m going to put my two cents on the table, and say that so far all these ideas are absolutely horrendous. “ Kenma deadpanned.

Kageyama hummed thoughtfully as he gazed at the sad excuse of a list that was the product of about an hour of the impromptu meeting.

“Even while looking at the pros and cons of these ideas, I don’t think these are what we’re looking for.” He deduced, saying out loud the thoughts of multiple people in the room.

“HMPH, well maybe if SOME PEOPLE were taking this a little bit seriously, then Hinata and Atsumu would be married by now.” Angrily grumbled Bokuto with his head laying on his arms against the table, still salty about his idea being plagiarized.

Kenma grinned and elbowed Kuroo, “Yeah, I agree with him for once.”

He got an incredibly offended scoff in return.

“UMM EXCUSE ME but I’ll let you know that I am literally the CEO of getting people together, thank you very much.”

“You’re excused.”

“THANK YOU USHIJIMA.”

Bokuto swung his legs violently on to the table despite Sakusa’s protest of how unsanitary that was and crossed his arms.

“Oh please.” He began, clearly beginning to become incredibly frustrated. “The last time I took your advice, Akaashi didn’t talk to me for a WHOLE HOUR.”

Kuroo had half a mind to look a little bit sheepish, “Wellll, maybe you just executed it poorly, the plan had literally zero flaws! But I bet I can get these two together with one of my ideas rather than one of your ideas.”

The hint of challenge in Kuroo’s tone was strong enough to ignite the spark in Bokuto. A huge smile covered his face, turning to Osamu eagerly.

“CAN WE TURN THIS INTO A COMPETITION?!” The owl-haired spiker shouted at the man who was literally less than a meter away.

Osamu took the time to ponder this, it’s not like they had anything else going for them and perhaps the competition could fuel them on with motivation, it worked for economies sometimes. What could possibly go wrong? It might just work! Plus, he was getting kinda desperate.

“Sure,” he began carefully, not wanting to accidentally sign himself onto a death wish. “But let’s talk this through a bit.” Grasping a washcloth, he wiped the list off the whiteboard and instead wrote, “Atsuhina Competition”.

“So technically we are all working together to reach a common goal, so we should be helping each other, as the only prize would be the Atsuhina ship sailing and that’s a win for everyone.” Osamu explained, writing, “Together Not Against”.

Bokuto and Kuroo voiced their support for this rule but Kageyama swore he saw them have their fingers crossed behind their backs.

Kenma piped up, adding, “We can’t blatantly tell Hinata that Atsumu is head over heels in love with him, that would be too boring and not dramatic enough.” Totally wanting to milk every drop of creativity possible from people’s ideas.

Osamu nodded earnestly, “I completely agree!”

“Don’t Tell Hinata the Obvious” was written.

“Lastly, I think outside help is welcome too, we need more people working for the cause. They’re welcome to join the committee too, just get them to swing it by me first.” Osamu concluded, adding “Please Invite Your Friends” as the final point to the guidelines of the competition.

“That is very much adequate,” Ushijima remarked.

“I’ll start a group chat for us all too!” Osamu decided. “Use it to update us all on your progress or ask questions. You guys can add anyone to it if they want to help or just observe the journey.” But honestly, Osamu needed one way or another to supervise them and avoid legal trouble.

“Alright if you guys have any more questions-"

The jiggling of the doorknob got everyone to stop what they were doing and hold their breath. Osamu practically felt his heart drop to the floor like he was on some sort of invisible rollercoaster.

“Oi Samu I know you’re in there, I forgot my keys, let me in why don’t ya?” Came from an impatient Miya Atsumu who was not supposed to be home so early.

“Oh shit, abort guys!” Freaked out Osamu, who frantically erased everything off the whiteboard.

Kenma and Kuroo gave a quiet but hysterical bye as they ended their FaceTime call, dipping the disaster in the making as fast as they could.

“I’ll go out of the window!” Bokuto declared.

“WE ARE LITERALLY ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR,” Whisper shouted Sakusa.

“Well OMI-KUN, there’s no other exit besides the door.” Bokuto informed him as if that justified flying out the window from the seventh floor of an apartment complex.

“Oh wait a second!” Yelled Atsumu from the other side of the door. “I found them, never mind!”

“IMPROVISE.” Ordered a stressed-out Osamu.

When Atsumu entered the room, he was surprised to see his teammates and rivals having some sort of tea party (?) on office chairs and a huge ass rectangle table. Everyone was eating onigiri and drinking tea, trying to look like they were just having a get-together lunch.

“Hey there…guys.” Atsumu greeted them confused as fuck and slightly insulted he wasn’t invited to this powwow.

“Ah, Tsum-Tsum!” Replied Bokuto, a little too stiffly, nervousness apparent in his voice. “What’s popping?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhh.”

“Your brother had invited us for some lunch and we were happy to oblige.” Explained Ushijima, weaving sincerity into his words. Technically, he wasn’t lying but it was still a stretch from what was actually happening.

Sakusa abruptly stood up and headed to the doorway where Atsumu was standing, still gawking at the new living room setup. “Oh look at the time.” He told Atsumu while looking at the non-existent watch on his wrist. “It’s so late in the afternoon, I best be off.” He gave Atsumu a light pat on the back and departed as fast as he could, totally regretting coming here in the first place.

“It’s like barely past 2 in the afternoon though?” Atsumu said to himself, but let it go in favour of the other people still in his apartment.

Everyone did as Sakusa did and stood up to leave, excuses flying by Atsumu’s ears about how they needed to go catch the afternoon news or how their cactus was pregnant. They stampeded out, making Atsumu feel like that one lion from that one movie.

By the time it was just the twins left in the apartment, silence took place as the two stared each off until Atsumu made a realization.

“Where the fuck is our couch?”

* * *

** New Group Chat**

**_Miya Osamu has added Sakusa Kiyoomi, Ushijima Wakatoshi, Kozume Kenma and more to a group chat._ **

**_Miya Osamu renamed the group chat to, “ • The Official Atsuhina Committee • ”_ **

**Miya Osamu:** Keep everyone updated here and add anyone freely! Good luck boys. We’ll all need it.

**Kuroo Tetsuro:** LMAOOOOOOO this is gonna be great!!

(=^･ω･^=)

**_Bokuto Koutaro has added Meian Shuugo, Adriah Thomas and more to the groupchat._ **

**Bokuto Koutaro:** Now the whole team can join in on the fun! :)

**Sakusa Kiyoomi:** Fun.

**_Bokuto Koutaro has added Akaashi Keiji to the group chat._**

**Bokuto Koutaro:** HEY HEY HEY! Time to start our plan Akaashi!!

**Akaashi Keiji:** Oh no.

* * *

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Do y’all ever get hit with a huge sense of foreboding?  
Also, it’s missing Hinata hours :((((

2:07AM - 23 Feb 2020 - Via Twitter

**Miya Osamu - @MiyaOsamu**  
_In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun_

GO TO SLEEP BITCH.

2:09AM - 23 Feb 2020 - Via Twitter


	2. What A Hoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bokuto-san, I realize that subtlety was never your strong suit but this is a whole new low for you.”

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Can't wait to warm up for practice with Shouyou spiking my sets! UGH the vibes with him are just so immaculate, ahh it can’t get any better than this  
。·゜·(ノД`)·゜·。

6:19 AM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

****He Needs Some Milk** \- @KageyamaTobio**   
_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

What is a vibe Atsumu-san???

6:25 AM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

****HEY HEY HEY** \- @BokutoKoutaro**   
_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

Oooo, are you sure Tsum-Tsum? ;)

6:26 AM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

**Akaashi Keiji - @AkaashiKeiji**   
_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

Run.

6:27 AM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

* * *

**• The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Bokuto Koutaro:** Sorry to end this competition early but OWL be getting these two together before practice even starts today!!! ^(OvO)^ ( <—P.S, it's an owl!)

 **Sakusa Kiyoomi:** Carry on. I have 9-1-1 on speed dial.

* * *

“Bokuto-san, I realize that subtlety was never your strong suit but this is a whole new low for you.”

It was around half past 7 on a Wednesday morning on Akaashi’s day off nonetheless. Around this time, he would probably still be sleeping in his bed but it was hard to stay asleep with the racket Bokuto made this morning. Their rooms were right beside each other so Akaashi was pretty much used to using Bokuto as his personal alarm clock since it sounded like a new world war started in his room every day at 8 sharp in the morning.

But this morning was an exception because not only was Akaashi dragged out of his room at 6:00 AM while the sun was barely out, he had to accompany Bokuto to find any store that would be open at this ungodly hour to buy materials for his ‘master plan’.

It was only thanks to the fact that he wasn’t fully awake that Akaashi could ignore the stares they received from people as they walked by, the stupid amount of bags they were carrying making them stick out like a sore thumb.

It felt like the two became the reincarnation of those ridiculous math problems you got in elementary school.

All that led up to Akaashi’s current dilemma, squatting with Bokuto behind the decorative bushes near the entrance to the gymnasium where the Black Jackals practiced at, because, ‘We have to be low-key Akaashi.”

Honestly, they looked like sitting ducks but he didn’t say it out loud because Akaashi knew Bokuto would make a joke about how the two are an owl duo, not ducks and frankly he wasn’t ready to deal with such sass at the moment.

“Don’t you think it would make more sense to just enter normally?” Akaashi whispered because he was scolded when he tried to talk in a normal outside volume the last time he spoke.

The two even powered their phones off to avoid any loud notifications, when a text message on Bokuto’s phone caused him to almost jump out of his skin.

Bokuto tutted loudly much to Akaashi’s chagrin, “Well, we just gotta double-check and scout the area in case somebody shows up early and sees my recognizable face, better be safe than sorry!”

They both knew the only person who would show up hours before the Jackal’s 10 AM practice would be Hinata, but Bokuto had shown his phone to Akaashi yesterday, displaying the precautions that were taken to avoid that situation. If Akaashi remembered correctly, it went something like:

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

_Ayyyy, my number one disciple!! Can’t wait to spike all dem balls in practice with you_ 😎 _anywhooo what time you getting to the gym?_

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

_Hi Bokuto-san! R U going to come early to practice too?!_

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

_HAHAH GOD NOoooooo, whaaaaa too early for me ahahaha, I just wanted to know uh how many extra hours you would have warming up before me, er so I can mentally prepare myself, yes that is right._

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

_Lol that’s so silly Bokuto, your spikes are SO AMAZING!!!!! You don’t need to mentally prepare :D_

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

_WHAT FREAKIN TIME WILL YOU BE THERE SON_

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

_Oh, probably about 9 AM? I’m a bit tired so I think I’ll only come an hour early_

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

_Cool beans!_

Akaashi checked his watch and lightly tapped Bokuto on the back to get his attention, “Bokuto-san, we should probably go now if you want to do what you want in time.”

The discomfort on the 24 year-old man's face was obvious, clearly wanting to be in their incognito mode for a little while longer. But Akaashi watched as his face lit up, causing Akaashi’s whole body to tense up in preparation for whatever stunt he could pull off this time.

Bokuto picked up the whole bush ( _the fuck?_ , Akaashi thought), and used it to cover the majority of his body as he zoomed to the entrance of the gym with his improvised disguise.

Akaashi slowly shook his head but went after him anyway with the bags of tape and saran wrap Bokuto had forgotten and no bush.

* * *

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

_Actually Bokuto-san, I just remembered that I asked Atsumu for some extra practice this morning so I’ll be there even earlier than 9 AM in case you want to mentally prepare for that lololol maybe like 8 or 8:30 AM? Atsumu-san might get there before me so if you want to join in you can get him to set for you!!!!_

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

_Helloooo?_

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

_Bokuto-san???_

* * *

**~A Little While Ago~**

“ AkaAAAsHi, are you listening?! Are you?”

“Yes Bokuto-san, you asked me the same thing about 15 seconds ago.” Akaashi sighed. He was currently washing the dishes in his and Bokuto’s shared apartment as he listened to the spiky-haired man continue telling his tale.

From what Akaashi deduced, it was an over dramatic retelling of his experience at the newly founded Atsuhina cult that Osamu had apparently started. Akaashi was actually invited but couldn’t make it due to work.

Bokuto had been ranting ever since he stepped foot in the apartment, and by now most of what he was saying was repetitive gibberish but after knowing Bokuto for so long, Akaashi’s brain automatically knew how to translate his words to make sense of them.

For example, “Kuroo BACKSTABBED me, literally plagiarizing my awesome idea, shattering my image in front of everyone, I can’t even show my face in public anymore, Akaaashi you should have been there!!” probably meant that Kuroo had taken an idea from Bokuto but improved it despite Bokuto not wanting to admit it. (Though when Akaashi later found out what Kuroo’s idea was, he wasn’t sure if he could legally call it an improvement).

Bokuto groaned exasperated, lying down on their kitchen island, facing the ceiling. “And that’s how this whole thing became a competition.”

“ARGGGHHHH!” He groaned as he frustratedly ran his hands through his wild hair and started rapidly kicking his legs like a child in a tantrum. “AKAAAAShi, you gotta help me.” The grown man whined.

“With what exactly?” Akaashi cooly asked as he wiped another plate.

“Why, pulling off a plan that gets Atsumu and Hinata to passionately pronounce their love for each other, DUH, anyone who’s anyone is waiting for it to happen!” Which was kinda true.

“And why specifically me to help you out with this?”

Bokuto was silent for a few moments until he said, “Well, you’re super smart you know? You always know what to do and you seem so calm when you do things, you’ve always helped me so why would it change now?”

“Hmmmmm,” he continued pondering. “Maybe it’s the glasses that have made you look even smarter!”

_Ah, of course_. Akaashi sadly thought after hearing the reasoning. _But he really does over glorify me._ There was a time when Akaashi had thought that he was on the same playing field as Bokuto and that he could actually control him. _As if I could possibly keep up with him._ There didn’t go a single day that went by when Akaashi didn’t think about their game against Mujinazaka High and the embarrassing mindset he had during the first set.

Nowadays, he tried to always remind himself to not get such presumptuous thoughts, drilling into his head that Bokuto was something he could never truly reach. It was why he stopped his attempts to chase after him, in order to prevent Akaashi’s own ego from causing any more problems for the both of them.

A “Well?” startled Akaashi out of his train of thought and he sheepishly realized he never responded.

“Whatever you want, Bokuto-san.” He quietly answered, mind focused on the sound of the running tap water.

Akaashi didn’t need to face Bokuto to know that he was being stared at intently, practically feeling holes being burned into the back of his head. Bokuto had been doing that a lot recently whenever talking with Akaashi but it didn’t seem concerning enough for him to bring it up in a conversation.

“Hey, Akaashi?”

“Yes, Bokuto-san?”

“You’ve been kinda out of dishes for a while, you might want to turn off the water.”

“Oh.”

* * *

**~ Back to the Present ~**

Akaashi stood by with a clear tape roll in his hands, dispensing it to Bokuto whenever he needed and watched as Bokuto did his magic.

“Bokuto-san…” He asked with eyebrows furrowed, “Care to run by the plan to me one more time?” Akaashi wasn’t really convinced with what he was seeing.

The mostly silver-haired man tsked his tongue in response, and Akaashi couldn’t tell if he should have felt insulted or not.

“So like I told you last time, I gave the committee my great idea but they weren’t the biggest fans of it because they didn’t want to cause any potential injury to Hinata, right?”

“Completely understandable.” Akaashi nodded, having a soft spot for the boy just like everyone else who has known him for more than two seconds.

Bokuto continued as he tore more pieces of saran wrap, “So I thought about it for a looong time and decided that a silly, harmless prank would be the best alternative!” He stuck his tongue out in concentration as he put the finishing touches and then backed up with his hands on his hips to admire his work.

The entire main doorway to the volleyball court was covered head to toe in layers upon layers of plastic wrap. What should occur is that an unsuspecting person would walk into it because they lacked to notice it, thanks to its clear quality, causing them to reel with shock as they became tangled in food wrap that appeared out of nowhere.

The amount of layers kinda took away some of the transparency though, Akaashi noticed. When he pointed this out, Bokuto simply laughed and puffed out his chest in response.

He announced, “Knowing Hinata, that guy is so dense he could probably walk through the prank like it was air and not even notice a thing! The more layers, the higher the chance for him to get tangled up and maybe gently fall on his face, but still totally cushioned by the amount of wrap!! See? NO bloodshed anywhere!!”

Bokuto sighed dreamily, “And before you know it, Atsumu will find him there, wriggling in his cocoon and it will be a total bonding moment hey hEY HEY!” Bokuto then snatched Akaashi’s arm and dragged him across the gym, near a different doorway so that they could stay out of sight but still view their target area.

They stood partially in the open doorway, heads peeking now and then, but also ready to book it in case all went wrong.

“This is SOOO EXCITING Akaashi! I can’t wait to see it all happen, blah blah blah!!” Bokuto babbled, right in Akaashi’s ears causing a ringing to start echoing in his eardrums.

_Gah,_ Akaashi thought, _we still have around 50 minutes until Hinata is scheduled to show up. Perhaps we shouldn’t have come so early._

Unbeknownst to Akaashi’s suffering, Bokuto continued on, words shooting out of his mouth a mile a minute.

“Like just IMAGINE how Atsumu will react when he sees his ‘precious wing spiker’ in such a position! Bwahaha! The guy will barely be able to contain himself, and Hinata will have to realize how whipped that blond bastard is for him!!”

Akaashi turned around to face Bokuto and tell him that he was not willing to stand here for about an hour listening to his ramblings until some poor sun child stumbled into their sitcom prank.

But before he could utter a single word, Akaashi’s eyes widened with shock as a shadow fell over Bokuto, causing the glasses-wearing man to feel true fear for the first time in a while.

As Bokuto continued to animatedly talk, Akaashi swore he heard boss music playing somewhere in the background.

The talking stopped as Bokuto noticed how frozen Akaashi was. He laughed, “Hey, you good there?” Waving a hand in front of his face. Bokuto tilted his head in confusion, “You look like you just got caught red-handed.”

Maybe Bokuto heard the music too, or maybe he saw it in the reflection of Akaashi’s glasses but his body stilled as he looked Akaashi dead in the eyes.

Bokuto chuckled dryly. “I'm in danger, aren't I?”

A freezing finger poked Bokuto hard in the middle of his cheek, sending shivers down his body.

Atsumu Miya rested his chin on Bokuto’s shoulder as the latter stood unmoving in his spot, body unable to move due to the murderous aura that was currently being projected.

The setter casually spoke though it was hard not to notice the hidden malice underneath it all. “Can you repeat that for me again? What were yer going to do to my, ah, precious wing spiker?” His chin digging deeper into Bokuto’s shoulder with each word.

Akaashi was utterly fascinated with the amount of sweat that was profusely streaming down Bokuto’s face as he tried to scramble for some sort of answer.

Guess his fight or flight response finally kicked in cause the next thing Akaashi knew, Bokuto shimmied his way out of Atsumu’s hook and started to make a run for it.

“IT’S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD TSUM-TSUM HAHAHAHA I’LL MEET YOU IN THE GETAWAY CAR AKAASHI!” He shrieked as he sprinted across the gym to the only other exit of the gymnasium that didn’t have Atsumu in front of it.

Before Akaashi could dryly correct Bokuto that they did not have a getaway car for they had walked here, his eyes widened with shock as his brain quickly realized what was about to go down.

“WAIT, BOKUTO-SAN!” Akaashi shouted but it was too late.

Like a car crash you can’t look away from, he and Atsumu promptly watched in horror as Bokuto accelerated into the doorway and with an unsatisfying PWAH, he violently collided into the plastic wrap wall that the poor man had built with his own hands. His body started to fall backwards and drop dead as he reeled from the impact.

Akaashi made a mental note to write a good review online about the saran wrap’s durability because holy fuck.

If one asked Atsumu later once he stopped being petty about the whole situation (so like never), he would describe it as those videos of little birds smashing into windows because they don’t understand glass, though in this case, it would be Bokuto Koutaro instead of those cute little hummingbirds.

Moments before Bokuto’s head hit the floor, his eyes flickered open to meet the shocked expression of Hinata Shouyou himself who was mere seconds away from entering the gym when he was met with a full view of Bokuto at 8 in the morning.

“Bokuto-san!?”

The last thing Bokuto remembered was him replying, “Yessir!”

* * *

**• The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Meian Shuugo:** Hi, I just got sent footage from the security cameras at the Black Jackals gym and footage from the outside the building and I-

...Why did one of our bushes grow legs? BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY -

WHY did Bokuto body slam into thin air and obliterate himself in the process? Practice hasn’t even started yet guys.

**Kageyama Tobio:** Bokuto-san, that was an impressive impersonation of someone face planting into a glass door. Why didn’t you tell me you were secretly a mime?

**Adriah Thomas:** What the hell did he crash into?

**Kuroo Tetsuro:** HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I’m fucking SCREAMING !!! THIS WAS YOUR PLAN?!

**Oliver Barnes:** Is… is that saran wrap covering the doorway?

**Kozume Kenma:** This is artistry.

**Sakusa Kiyoomi:** I swear to god you better have not left any bloodstains on the floor.

**Miya Osamu:** But according to the footage, you did cause Atsumu and Hinata to physically get closer cause they both helped Akaashi carry your crippled body to the medical room!

**Ushijima Wakatoshi:** Ah yes, every cloud has a silver lining and I’m sure this temporary rainstorm will only aid the seeds of progress you have planted. I applaud your efforts.

* * *

“Shit hit the fan real quick huh?” Bokuto laughed weakly as he laid down on the bed in the building’s medical room.

Akaashi sat on a nearby chair and rolled his eyes, “Eloquently put as always.”

The nurse who was working today was comically frightened when three men marched in carrying Bokuto above their heads like some sort of coffin in a funeral march. Thankfully, she concluded that Bokuto didn’t have a concussion but highly advised that he lay down for a while before attempting to participate in practice.

Hinata had wanted to stay by Bokuto’s side, feeling terrible from watching the chaos unfold from a front-row seat. He ended up caving to Atsumu’s aggressive persuasion to leave him be as Bokuto deserved it if Hinata knew the full story.

The tangerine boy said his cheery goodbyes and ‘get better quickly Bokuto-san!’ before turning to Atsumu and looking right in his eyes to exclaim, “Let me hit some of your tosses Atsumu-san!”

Akaashi smirked amused when Hinata grabbed Atsumu by the wrist and started to drag away the sputtering red-faced setter who looked like he was about to melt into the ground.

A quiet, “W-We s-should probably remove the plastic wrap from the door first Shouyou-kun...” could be heard before they went out of earshot.

The cute little scene reminded Akaashi of how much he actually supported the goal of the committee, but it still wasn’t enough to make up for the disaster that unfolded.

Now, practice was in full session as Akaashi continued to accompany Bokuto. To Akaashi’s surprise, Bokuto had actually fallen asleep for 3 hours. He was most likely exhausted from waking up so early to get supplies for his scheme and the whole plowing into saran wrap at a hundred kilometers per hour thing probably took a toll on him too.

Bokuto sighed loudly when he woke up, “Who knew that trying to be a matchmaker would be so tiring?”

Not knowing what to really say, Akaashi flatly said, “Sorry I couldn’t be of much help Bokuto-san.” And cue the mysterious stare Bokuto had been giving him recently.

“Why do you keep doing that?” He questioned Akaashi, even though Akaashi had no idea what he was referring to.

“What do you mean Bokuto-san?”

“You know, you keep talking like I’m super important or something. Or as if you’re somehow less than me in any way.”

Like always, Bokuto was a blast of ice water to his face.

“I-I… I don’t know how to explain it. But it’s true, isn’t it? You’re steps ahead of me in all ways possible.”

Bokuto huffed angrily and pulled himself up in a sitting position. “I’m glad I brought this up because I have been dying to talk about this for a hot minute! First of all, where did you get these thoughts?”

“HUH?” Was all Akaashi could say.

“Akaashi, never for a second have I viewed you as anything less than me. You’re my partner, my best friend, I thought we were equals.”

“B-but, I’ve messed up before because I thought too highly of myself, and I -“ Flashbacks to when he was benched raced through his head.

“So? You’re literally talking to the president of messing up while thinking they’re hot shit.” Bokuto’s self-awareness really popped off.

“I’ve just noticed that lately, this mindset you’ve developed has been affecting you and therefore it affects me, and I really care about you Akaashi and hope you realize how much you’re worth. I’m not sure what’s holding you back, but know that I’m here to conquer life with you, not someone for you to compete with.”

Akaashi sighed tiredly, knowing that what Bokuto was saying was something he had been trying to run from for a long time and it was getting tiring. “It just...feels like I’m wilting under your light sometimes and maybe it’s for the better.”

Bokuto owlishly blinked at him, “You lack confidence, but I have enough for the both of us right now and want you to know that I think that you’re intelligent, sassy, attractive, honestly too humble and a million other things. If you ever forget any of this just ask me and I’ll repeat it for you”. The geniosity in his voice was strong.

“There’s no I in the spelling of team. Or in partners or equals -”

_Or lovers_ , Akaashi thought.

“-which are all words that describe us so get it through your head Akaashi!”

“I… understand Bokuto-san.”

“Also, you can drop the honorifics Akaashi, we’re no longer teammates but super close friends and close friends don’t really use them! Why don’t you give it a try?”

Akaashi gulped nervously, “That’s asking for a lot, Bokuto-san.” It felt almost too intimate for him.

Bokuto only chuckled in response, “Well it was worth a shot.”

With a quick glance at the clock, Bokuto jumped out of the bed and excitedly started to shoo Akaashi out of the room.

“At this time, it should be individual practice, check up on the lovebirds! I’ll be joining shortly after I get changed.” He ordered with a mischievous grin.

Akaashi caught a whiff of his hidden motives and laughed for the first time since he entered the medical room, “Don’t you think they had enough interference for a day?”

Bokuto shook his head, “No way! This competition stops for nobody and besides- "

He smiled wistfully and looked at Akaashi with warm eyes.

“When have we ever played a game we could afford to lose?”

* * *

He found Atsumu sitting on a bench drinking water, watching his teammates do their own individual practice, but one could tell who his undivided attention was really pinpointed on.

“He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Akaashi took a seat beside the setter on the bench and looked up in time to watch Hinata spread his wings and fly.

“Yes.” Akaashi agreed, not hesitating to say so as it was nothing but the truth and the whole truth.

“You...probably know about my uh small crush on Shouyou-kun, judging from what Bokuto roped you into.”

Akaashi was always known as a calm and collected guy but it took a lot of willpower to not projectile vomit on Atsumu when he called it a “small crush”.

Instead, he opted to gently smile. “Well, have you been trying to make some progress on it?” He questioned Atsumu.

Atsumu scratched the back of his head, a blush dusting his face. “Honestly, I don’t think I have. I’m not sure if we’re even close friends either.”

His answer surprised Akaashi, but he decided to let it slip by. “Well then, why don’t you just ask him to hang out with you? Spend more time with him and see what happens.”

Atsumu spit out the water he was drinking and whipped his head at lightning speed to look at Akaashi like he grew an extra head. Looking at him closely, Akaashi recognized something that Atsumu hid behind guarded golden eyes.

“Are yer kidding me?! Hinata is way outta my league, and everyone else sees it too. I don’t think I could ever insult him by asking him to spend time with me when he could do it with literally anyone else. It’s for the best anyway, he could probably do better...” Atsumu trailed off, with a complex expression on his face.

It was the expression that Akaashi knew all too well because he had seen it every morning when he looked into the mirror.

Akaashi proceeded to reach a hand over to Atsumu, causing the latter to look up and Akaashi promptly slapped his cheek.

“OI!” Atsumu yelped in a high pitch, quickly nurturing the stinging area. “What was that for?”

Akaashi shrugged nonchalantly, “You needed the wake-up call, that’s all.”

As Atsumu pouted and rubbed his cheek dramatically, Akaashi chose his words carefully. “Atsumu-san, you’re looking down on yourself too much. You’re a setter on a division one team, your teammates and other players respect and admire you, and you deserve to pursue happiness too. There’s no reason for any of this to mean less just because you think others are better.”

When Atsumu didn’t respond, Akaashi continued. “Hinata likes you, at least as a friend I’m sure of it. He constantly initiates hangouts with just the two of you, like practicing spikes with your sets, or even biking together like you two did a while ago.”

“Where did you find out… ah, the twitter account?”

“The twitter account.” Akaashi gravely confirmed. “But the point I’m trying to make is that you should be viewing each other as equals considering what your goal is. You’re setting these unrealistic standards for yourself that will only end up negatively affecting you and Shouyou-kun.”

Atsumu continued to stare longingly at the courts, “It feels like I’ve engraved these thoughts so hard into my brain, that I think they're facts.” Letting out a worn out groan in frustration.

“Atsumu-san… I know it’s hypocritical of me to be lecturing you on a topic I only learned a few minutes ago.” Akaashi admitted, letting an amused huff of air escape his mouth. “But if you work on reframing these damaging thoughts in your head, I believe that it would not only improve your relationship with Hinata, but with yourself too.” Emphasizing his point by poking Atsumu in the middle of his chest.

“Don’t view yourself as a background character, you’re Miya Atsumu and you seem to be holding back. Why don’t you give it 120%? Ask him to hangout sometime.”

Atsumu slouched lower on the bench, sinking a bit into the floor, overwhelmed by Akaashi’s lecture but the glimmer of hope was evident on his face.

“Doesn’t it seem kind of impossible though?” The blond setter wondered out loud in his dazed state.

The words came out of Akaashi’s mouth before he even thought about it.

“Someone... important to me once told me that nothing is ‘impossible’, just ‘really improbable’.” His eyes trained on Bokuto-san who just enthusiastically entered the gym with a cartwheel and flip, ready to join his teammates. Atsumu-san followed his gaze with a knowing look.

“...You’re...really wise, you know that Akaashi-kun? Maybe it’s the glasses?”

Akaashi hummed as he thought about an answer, “Perhaps.”

* * *

Akaashi stayed throughout the entire practice, and as he waited for Bokuto to get changed, he heard a conversation that he probably wasn’t meant to hear from down the hallway

“H-Hey, Shouyou-kun?”

“Hmmm? What is it Atsumu-san?”

“Uh, I was wondering, if you wanted to get something to eat with me.”

“...”

“It’s fine if yer not hungry or busy or just don’t want to go with me hahahahaha!!! I was just- "

“Oh my gosh, of course Atsumu-san, I’m starving!” Shoyou replied with so much joy in his voice it probably leaked into the air.

Akaashi should have applied sunblock because he could feel how hot Atsumu’s face was all the way from where he was standing.

“NO. FREAKING. WAY.” Bokuto had gushed giddily when Akaashi had recounted what he eavesdropped. “This must be due to our efforts right, Akaashi!? RIGHT?!”

Akaashi had to agree with him, just this once, “That would seem like the case.”

As the two continued walking back to their apartment, Akaashi thought about the day's events and that rush of adrenaline that only happens in the heat of the moment came crashing onto him in waves. He stopped walking.

“Hey.”

But Bokuto didn’t seem to hear him, continuing to walk on ahead. But this time, Akaashi surged forward to match his pace.

“Bokuto.”

That caught Bokuto’s attention right away, and with a hitched breath he stared wide-eyed at Akaashi, pupils dilated, a look that caused Akaashi’s face to turn bright red. He cleared his throat, to try to get the words to come out.

“Do you...want to get something to eat together?”

The large beaming smile that Akaashi got in response melted all his anxieties away.

_We are the protagonists of the world._

* * *

**• The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Miya Osamu :** Uhh so my twin just walked into the apartment with the dopiest face ever, so either he was actually doping or something good happened with Shouyou-kun. My money is on the latter.

**Bokuto Koutaro:** HOOT HOOT bitches, it was all me and Akaashi 😙 doing God’s work out there 😤 NO need to thank us!!

**Ushijima Wakatoshi:** If we were to view ‘Atsuhina’ as a thousand-mile journey, then I’m sure this was at least a good step and a half in the right direction.

**Bokuto Koutaro:** Bruh.

* * *

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

JUST HUNG OUT WITH SHOUYOU?! And it was ME who INITIATED IT? I have ASCENDED into the fifth realm SKSNJHDKAFGKAHF.

11:19PM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**   
_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

Thanks for the help guys. @BokutouKoutaro @AkaashiKeiji

11:21PM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

****Nyanyanyanya** \- @KurooTetsuro**   
_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

Boiiiii, WHAT HELP? Homeboy literally yeeted himself into his own trap lolololololol.

11:37PM - 08 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter was a bit different than the first one but I hope you liked it regardless!
> 
> Please. Please like it regardless. (ノдヽ)
> 
> Comment any feedback, it helps! I think Ushijima will be the focus of our next chapter


	3. Dry Soil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima politely reassured Tendou, very happy in his gray fedora and dark shades. “I appreciate the thought that went into this.”
> 
> “THANK YOU WAKATOSHI."

“Oh, good morni- WHAT THE HECK!?” Hoshiumi Korai squawked in surprise, stopping in the middle of his greeting when he got a better look at the Schweiden Alders’s opposite hitter, who had just entered practice cutting it very close to being late. It was about fifteen minutes before official practice would be underway, and most of the team had already stretched out their limbs and done their warm-ups.

Fukuro Hirugami, the captain, who was fetching a ball that rolled by the doorway, also had to do a double-take at the man that Hoshiumi was gawking at. He let out a small gasp, “Ushijima, there’s no way to say this nicely but you look like shit. What happened, my boy?”

Ushijima Wakatoshi, unable to respond at the moment, was leaning on the door frame for support, panting so heavily it could be heard amongst the yelling and volleyballs being spiked in the gym. His clothes looked like they were picked up from the floor and hastily thrown on, and his usual dark olive-brown hair was roughed up and tousled in an unattractive homeless look. The matching olive eyes he owned were now bloodshot and the dark droopy eye bags under his eyes could probably be seen from a satellite in space. Ushijima could practically hear the astronauts criticizing his disheveled state.

One would think he just came out of a one night stand that kept him up all night if they didn’t know that talking with Ushijima sometimes was like talking to a blunt brick wall. Imagine trying to get into a brick wall’s pants, quite difficult.

“I… had a difficult time reaching a state of unconsciousness last night which affected my ability to wake up on time. Please excuse my slip up.” Ushijima formally apologized after regaining his breath, body bent over in a half bow. 

Fukuro’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, stunned by this revelation, “Oh my, that’s very out of character for you.” He mused while playing with the ball in his hand. “Was there some sort of bird singing until dawn outside your window or something?” The captain lightly jokes.

Ushijima’s face scrunched up as he thought about it and he languidly sighed, “Well, I guess you could put it that way. I kept getting lots of twitter notifications throughout the night.” The image of the little blue bird logo was engraved into his brain after the number of times his phone lit up with it. 

“Huh?” Hoshiumi dumbfoundedly exclaimed. “Why don’t you turn your notifications off as a sane person would?” He lectured the taller man with a hand sassily stuck out in the air for emphasis as if to say ‘duhhhh’. 

“Nope,” Kageyama chimed in while taking a swig of water. “Ushijima-san doesn’t turn off notifications because he worries about emergencies. A bit annoying when you have to sleep right next to him in training camps.” The setter shrugged his shoulders lazily, “He turns off notifications from everyone except his contacts or people he knows, so it’s not like notifying him if every single mention he gets on social media.”

“Ahh, well that’s not that bad then!” Fukuro grinned, but still a bit confused. “I’m sure most of your friends or such wouldn’t be awake on twitter in the dead of night though.” When Ushijima didn’t answer right away, Fukoro’s face became more concerned. “Right?” 

Ushijima’s face had turned slack, eyes blank and glossy as his entire night flashbacked in front of him, tweets flying past his eyes:

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Me whenever I see Shouyou: 

STEP ON ME STEP ON ME STEP ON ME

10:25 PM - 29 Apr 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Sakusa Kiyoomi - @SakusaKiyoomi**   
_In Reply To @_ _iwanttobeinthesun_

Electric chair.

11:04 PM - 29 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

HAVE MY CHILDREN 😫💦👅

12:53 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

dude’s built like water, I’d slurp him all up 😤🧚🏻

1:18 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

**Kozume Kenma - @Kodzuken**   
_In Reply To @_ _iwanttobeinthesun_

The volume inside of this tweet is ASTRONOMICAL

1:31 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

What if 😳 we held hands 🤝😘 and kissed 👄🤭

Hahaha, jkjk...unless?

2:25 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

I saw Shouyou-kun in good lighting yesterday and choked on my spit, like can you let me BREATHE

2:44 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

I really really really like you. Every single moment spent with you makes my heart melt like a candle and the butterflies in my stomach flap like crazy. Only you give me this feeling. I... think that you’re the one I've been waiting for my entire life. I don't think I could ever be more in … with you.

Counting down the days till I make ya mine.

3:01 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Can’t believe we’re not making out right now LMAO 

༼ ༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ༽ (இ﹏இ`。) (T⌓T)

4:07 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Miya Osamu - @MiyaOsamu**   
_In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun_

Are you okay, on god I didn’t realize how bad this was gettin??

4:20 AM - 30 April 2020 - Via Twitter 

“You’d be surprised.” Ushijima huffed, annoyed, and left to go get changed for practice. Kageyama completely understood the feeling as he had to go through the same notifications when he woke up.

A grueling practice went on and as time passed by, Ushijima got more into it, losing a bit of his fatigue but still feeling the effects of his interrupted sleep schedule. When practice was over and everyone was changing in the locker rooms, his phone started vibrating violently, almost shaking itself off the bench.

“Oooh!” Teasingly cooed Romero, who was putting on a shirt while trying to view the phone screen as Ushijima went to fetch it. His fatherly instincts were telling him to be nosey. “Are you getting a call from a secret lover or something?”

Ushijima unlocked his phone and then flatly responded, “No. Somebody is simply texting me multiple times in a row.” Causing some other players to open their mouths in shock. Who was texting Ushijima and why were they so clingy? How do you even text someone so consecutively that your phone shakes like it’s getting a call? It took about five seconds for Ushijima to skim the name of the sender and the main point of the messages, and when he saw Kageyama also intently looking at his phone, he knew that they both received the same messages. The two made eye contact and nodded, gathering their stuff to leave while everyone else in the locker room just stared at their telepathic interaction. 

When the two left, the players still in the locker room finally spoke up. “I wonder where they’re going? This is like the third time I’ve seen them head out somewhere like they’re on a mission or something.” Somebody commented.

“I think they might be hanging out with some of their old high school friends.” Came from somebody else. “I’ve been seeing pictures of them eating lunch with some Black Jackal members on social media ”

Fukoro smiled approvingly, relieved it wasn’t something scandalous like a cult or something. “I’m glad they make time for their friends. I worry that they’re too antisocial sometimes.” The rest of the team nodded their heads in agreement, and they returned back to their conversations.

  
  


* * *

  
  


**•The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Miya Osamu:** OI

**Miya Osamu:** It’s your cult leader here

**Miya Osamu:** MEETING TIME

**Miya Osamu:** GET YER BUTTS OVER TO MY PLACE

**Miya Osamu:** NEVERMIND, ATSUMU JUST CAME HOME

**Miya Osamu:** Tsk, who does he think he is, waltzing into the apartment as if he lives here

**Miya Osamu:** NEW LOCATION, ONE OF MY ONIGIRI SHOPS, I SENT THE COORDINATES

**Miya Osamu:** IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT THAT’S FINE BUT IF YOU CAN THEN HURRY UP

**Akaashi Keiji:** But won’t we interfere with business?

**Miya Osamu:** I’ll close up early, we have WAY more pressing matters

**Miya Osamu:**...

**Miya Osamu:** I’m never gonna financially recover from this.

* * *

“All right you little shits, we got a huge problem.”

The committee was sitting around the tables in the dining area at one of the Onigiri Miya shops in the city. A sign on the door told customers that it was currently closed early because of a broken water pipe but that was just a cover-up.

Osamu gracefully wheeled out a whiteboard on wheels from the backroom (how many does he own?) and started to angrily write on it, the squeaks filling the silence of the room as the tip was forcefully brushed against the board. 

“So,” He began slowly, letting out a deep exhale. “Ever since like a few weeks ago, my brother has finally grown a pair and seems to be actively trying harder in his pursuit for Hinata’s heart.” Osamu’s body bristled as he forlornly put the cap back on the whiteboard marker. “But it appears a price was paid.” He stepped to the side, to reveal the title he wrote at the top of the board.

**ATSUMU IS TOO THIRSTY**

Ushijima really liked the little water droplets that Osamu drew beside the title, having a trained eye for such intricate detail like that.

“Preach!” Bokuto yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth to add volume, letting his opinion be heard from his place beside Akaashi. Kuroo, who was sitting to the other side of Bokuto, was sagely nodding with his eyes closed.

“Couldn’t have put it better bro. The boy is so shameless LIKE I could never!” Kuroo declared proudly with no hint of satire. Kenma snorted beside him but tried to poorly hide it behind a fist.

Rolling his eyes, the owner of the shop voiced his support of their comments. “Shameless is right, the walls in the apartment are thin and I’ve overheard many lines Atsumu tried using on Shouyou-kun through the phone.” He weakly shook his fist in the air. “But the sun is oblivious and doesn’t understand that Atsumu is trying to get into his pants! It’s like he’s a brick wall or something.”

“What do you think could have edged him on to be so brave like this?” Kageyama wondered out loud, glancing around the committee for answers. Sakusa narrowed his eyes and locked his gaze on a nervously sweating Akaashi to address him.

“Now that I think about it, I did see you talk with Atsumu for a long time when you came to observe our practice around the same time this behavior started.” 

“Oh god, you’ve created a monster.”

Osamu diverted the conversation with a wave of his hand, “Doesn’t really matter at this point, the point is that my brother is humiliating himself with no sense of self-dignity and it’s not even working! That’s why I called y'all here to remind you guys of why we do what we do and hopefully, this encourages you to continue your plans to make this ship sail. Maybe injuries will work, maybe locking them in a room could, just anything to get that rat to realize that shitty one-liners won’t work on someone as pure Hinata.” He passionately declared, his gaze confident in everyone.

The captain of the Black Jackals Meian Shugo piped in ecstatically, saying, “This suddenly brings in a new meaning to why I overheard Atsumu ask Hinata such a peculiar question! I see that this was just an attempt to flirt shamelessly I guess.”

“What did he say?” Ushjimia questioned, curious to hear an example of Atsumu’s behavior.

“Oh, he asked Hinata if he wanted Atsumu to break his back like a glowstick!” The unfazed way Meian announced this caused Kenma to spit out the apple juice he was drinking, getting a bit of it on Kuroo who barely noticed, too busy crying-laughing with a gleeful Bokuto, the two of them holding on to each other for support. Ushijima cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy, not understanding what was so funny. “Hinata then responded that he didn’t need a chiropractor.”

The gray-haired twin facepalmed himself in second-hand embarrassment. “Should have eaten him in the womb, swear to fuckin god…” Osamu began to angrily mutter under his breath. “Ugh! Should’ve eaten him!” He took some deep breaths to calm himself down, though a malicious glint in his eye was still visible. “Alright, just more fuel to the fire to fix this mess. Now take chances, make mistakes, get messy, get those two together, and get out of my shop!”

* * *

Ushijima finally returned to his house late after dusk, and after cooking a delicious organic dinner and taking a long warm shower, he was ready to go to bed and catch up on some sleep. Thankfully, there was no practice tomorrow so he could get an extra hour in or so before he had to go out with some friends. As he got ready to go to bed, walking around the house locking doors and saying goodnight to his plants like his cherry tomatoes, his phone started ringing for real this time. It was playing some anime intro song so he knew who was calling, and he picked up.

“Good evening, Tendou.”

“Wakatoshiiiii!! It’s been so long, I miss youuuuu! How was your meeting with that crazy committee?” Came Tendou Satori’s bubbly voice blasting through the phone even though the two last saw each other two days ago. Ushijima went to turn the speaker mode off but he realized it wasn’t even on speaker mode. 

He had been regularly updating his red-headed friend on the committee situation ever since Tendou once saw the group chat over Ushijima’s shoulder when they were hanging out together. After explaining the whole story and giving more context, Ushijima let his best friend read through the whole chat while he was watering his cucumbers. The rest of the hangout was filled with background noises of Tendou’s giggles and uncontrollable chortles, and, “This is better than any manga I’ve read in my life!”. 

Tendou even took the liberty of adding himself to the group chat to continue following along the epic saga and the thirst account gained a new follower that day. Ushijima personally thought Atsumu should hire him to be in charge of marketing his account with all the free exposure Ushijima was giving him.

“It was fine, Osamu is terribly worried about how slow our progress is and the low mental state Atsumu seems to be reaching.” He recounted promptly while getting settled into bed. “It’s a shame I do not have any clue on what I can do to help.” 

“Eyy?!” Tendou responded baffled. “How come? I know this isn’t exactly your playing field but someone with your brilliance would still have a few brainstorms!” Ushijima’s mouth quirked up at the compliment but he shook his head even though Tendou wouldn't be able to see him. 

“But the problem is that Atsumu is so consumed with desire, it’s causing him to just blurt out raunchy sentences that neither I or Hinata seem to understand. It does not even sound remotely romantic to me. How would you feel if I told you I would break your back like a glow stick? “Ushijima asks, mildly amused.

He heard a noisy crash and scuffling from Tendou on the other end of the line and Ushijima knew he had fallen off of whatever he was sitting on. After what sounded like hyperventilating for a few seconds, Ushijima finally heard a response. “Wow,” Tendou breathed out, finding the words after he lost his ability to talk momentarily. “The man’s got hella game, I’m kinda jealous” A sigh followed. “I’m surprised you didn’t understand though Wakatoshi, I thought my lessons on current slang, memes, and everything in between were working!” He finishes with a pout on his face.

The lessons started when Ushijima was having a hard time understanding what people were saying online or in real life. Lots of dialogue in current everyday language revolves around knowing a specific inside joke or comprehending newly created words that seem to have been pulled out of someone’s ass. Tendou jumped at the opportunity to play teacher and ever since then, Ushijima has felt more cultured than ever.

“Hmmm,” ponders Ushijima, with a hand resting on his chin. “I guess Atsumu is just too advanced.”

Tendou played with his pillow on his bed absentmindedly as he tried to think of ways to help Ushijima anyway he could. Ushijima didn’t understand what Atsumu was saying so he didn't fully understand what a walking disaster he was, leading him to not know how to help… Tendou scrambled up from his position lying down on his own bed when the lightbulb in his head finally flickered on. 

“Wait, is our hangout with Goshiki, Semisemi, Shirabu, and Ohira still happening tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Ushijima responded, not sure of why this was being brought up. “We have been delaying it for so long due to our non-aligning schedules and it’s been a while since we’ve all been in the same spot. You should know as you are the one organizing it.”

When he heard Tendou start cackling mischievously, Ushijima wasn’t sure whether to ask if he was alright or not but he trusted that Tendou had good reason to.

“Alright, then my miracle boy! I suddenly need to go off now and take care of some errands!.” His friend declared, though when Ushijima looked at the clock, seeing it read half-past nine, he felt very strong feelings of suspicion.

“Uh, okay. Have a good rest of your night Tendou.”

“You too! ~ ”

After a peaceful slumber, thanks to Ushijima’s innovative idea of temporarily muting the thirst account overnight, he got ready to meet, “The Boys”, as Tendou dubbed them and was waiting outside in his backyard to pass the time until his mode of transportation arrived.

He had picked a small house nestled in a lovely neighborhood because of a number of pros, but what had really won him over was that the house he chose was painted a soothing rustic red, almost like a barn. Really made him feel at home. The backyard that the house had was large too, with a vast amount of space for Ushijima to garden to his heart’s contents. Fields of perfectly tended vegetables and fruits in a rainbow of assortment that reflected hours of hard labor could be seen all the way from the entrance.

Ushijima was in the middle of singing to his romaine lettuce, with woodland creatures peacefully gathered around to listen to him when he heard the obnoxious car honking that scared the animals away, leading him to cleverly deduce that his ride was here.

He closed the backyard gate and walked over to the sidewalk where a white 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan pulled up in front of him with a screech of its tires. His neighbors were all used to it by now. 

BEEP BEEP, sounded the car as Tendou slapped the shit out of the horn while Ushijima settled into his place in the front seat. He gave a curt wave to his peers sitting in the seats behind him.

“Seatbelts EVERYONEEEE!” Tendou sang out joyously.

“Ughhhhh, pleaseee let this be a normal hangout…” whined Goshiki Tsutomu in the back row, who knew he should have just stayed home today.

Everyone shook their heads in unison, already knowing the answer. “ With Tendou? No way.”

“AW MAN.”

* * *

“We look ridiculous Tendou. We look like tacky tourists.”

Tendou playfully swatted Semi’s nose like a cat, “Shush Semisemi! I had to do deep research on the dark side of the internet to come up with such clever disguises.” He defended himself, going back to view Atsumu and Hinata through binoculars while wearing pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

The group was currently huddled behind a random shelf at a small sportswear store, looking through the empty parts of the shelves to view their unsuspecting targets that were currently browsing for new volleyball shoes, unaware they were being watched. The smell of rubber and metal was distinct and every few minutes when any employees passed by the group, they had to pretend they were actually viewing the tennis balls in front of them instead of creepily stalking some prey.

It was after an agonizing fifteen minutes of driving with Tendou’s karaoke playlist that Tendou finally filled the others in of the Atsuhina situation and the plan for the day, as he was the one who had organized their hangout today. “We’re just gonna observe them a little bit from afar so Wakatoshi can get some exposure on modern seducing behavior! And we can do it _together,_ what a bonding experience ~ ”

Ohira blinked wearily, “So our hangout, the first of in months, will consist of staking these two out while praying they flirt with each other?” He asked for confirmation.

Tendou tsked Ohira, “No no no, don’t think of it like that! Think of it like, going on an unknown adventure where every location we go just so happens to be the same as theirs!” He told the gang convincingly. “Now how do you guys feel about some group shopping?”

When they had finally reached the first location, which Tendou figured out this morning thanks to Atsumu blatantly bragging about his little rendezvous with the tangerine on Twitter, the Shiratorizawa alumni tumbled out of the minivan, mentally prepared to just walk around and window shop while just enjoying each other’s presence. Like normal people. This mindset was shattered when Tendou had whipped out a large duffel bag of hats and sunglasses from the trunk and started to pass them out like party favors. 

“Uhhh, so what’s the occasion?” Goshiki pursed his lips as he examined the bag, looking up in time to see Tendou fling a dark purple bucket hat his way. Tendou then put on his own hat, a black beret, checking himself out in the car rearview mirrors until he was satisfied with how it looked.

“Well obviously, we don’t want to be recognized by the two duhh. The internet told me this was a very easy and simple foolproof disguise!”

“What type of person would recommend this as a way to go undercover? There’s no way it would work, it’s just eyewear and a hat.” Shirabu grumbled, adjusting his slightly too large white baseball cap from falling down his face. Semi with a salmon-colored beanie, giving him a skater boy vibe and Ohira with a tan bowler hat made hums of agreement.

A phone with a simply designed website pulled up on the screen was then shoved in Shirabu’s face, causing the med student to roll his eyes and grab the phone himself from Tendou’s long fingers so he could properly read it. Ohira craned his neck to read over the shoulder.

  
  


“‘Tobiyolo Swageyama’s Course To Infiltrating Places’.” Ohira read out loud slowly. “That’s what you’re depending on?” He questioned, disbelieving.

Tendou nodded his head rapidly, eyes brimming with enthusiasm. “Apparently, this type of outfit is so good, it could ALMOST work for sneaking onto your rival’s territory!”

Ushijima politely reassured Tendou, very happy in his gray fedora and dark shades. “I appreciate the thought that went into this.” 

“THANK YOU WAKATOSHI. I knew you had my back! Now the rest of you go pick a pair of sunglasses and we can get this started!”

And that’s how they ended up as the shadiest looking people in the store. So far, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening, Hinata was engrossed in his search for new shoes, wanting to find ones that would support his mad jumping abilities with Atsumu trailing behind him, offering his opinion every now and then. Nothing to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over, the Shiratorizawa alumni who had never first hand witnessed Atsumu’s ventures with Hinata had a hard time believing that somebody who used to be commonly considered as Japan’s best high school setter could act the way Tendou described.

So far, the spectacle was like a disappointing field trip to the zoo, where the ferocious animals the young children were excited to see ended up lazing around napping in the sun. Bonus disappointment points if the animals were hidden deep in the enclosure beyond view.

While Ushijima and Tendou were taking turns swapping the binoculars on their safari adventure, the other four were sitting cross-legged on the floor, catching up with each other. 

“You’re a civil servant, right Semi? That has to do with the government and stuff right?” Goshiki cheerily asked.

“Yes?”

“I saw some weird rumors online and I was wondering if you could tell me if it’s true that all birds are secretly drones -”

“SHHHH, zip your lips guys!” Tendou turned around to crossly scold them, using a tennis racquet to jab their sides.

“✧·ﾟ*We can’t hear them talk with all the _racket_ you’re making *:·ﾟ✧” Eliciting a long groan from Shirabu and Semi.

“How does he even vocalize those sounds out loud? This is a verbal conversation!” Semi scoffed, nose wrinkled in confusion. “And I doubt we’re missing much, they’ve been talking about if the same shoe fits Hinata for the past five minutes. Just listen.” And everyone turned their ears to the chatter that was going on seven meters away.

Hinata was sitting on a bench, using his hands to tweak the shoe he was trying on to be more comfortable. “I think this fits well!” He exclaimed and stood up to test out the feel, skipping around the small area and then posing in front of one of the mirrors available

Walking over, Atsumu stood beside him and gave an approving hum. “Looks real good on you.”

Semi turned around to give Tendou his most condescending, ‘I told you so’ look when Hinata let out a loud yelp redirecting everyone’s attention.

“Woah!!!” Hinata spoke astonished. He was looking down at his shoe beside Atsumu’s shoe. “Your shoe size is so much bigger!” Hinata awed out loud, causing Atsumu to devilishly smirk at the orange-haired boy.

“Oh no…” Quietly murmured Tendou, for reasons unbeknownst to his friends. “Don’t tell me he’s going to say what I THINK he’s going to say?!”

They watched as Atsumu slid a long arm over Hinata’s shoulder causing the other to innocently look up at the wicked expression Atsumu wore as he said “Well you know what they say about a guy with big feet right? "

Tendou started to fervently shake in anticipation like a Wii controller.

Atsumu continued, maintaining eye contact with the waiting tangerine, “That you’d love to see them at the foot of your bed.” 

There was a pause in the air after Atsumu spoke, from the stunned silence from the stakeout crew, and from Hinata who was just staring back at Atsumu unperturbed.

Ohira was the first to recover, staring incredulously at the blond, “Wow, didn’t know it did that.” He said, referring to Atsumu. Goshiki was tugging at the end of Shirabu’s jacket like a lost toddler while whispering, “Wait, did that mean what I think it meant?” While the latter was hiding his face on Semi’s back, abashed that there existed people who would actually say something like that in public.

Whipping out a notebook that seemed to have come out of thin air and reaching into the back pocket of his navy jeans to grab a pen, Ushijima started writing frantically on a blank page much to everyone (except Tendou’s) utter confusion and Goshiki’s amazement, all of them ignoring the, “Why would I want bigfoot in my bedroom?” that could be heard in the background.

The bowl cut boy openly marveled at whatever the fuck Ushijima was doing and asked with admiration laced in his words, “What are you writing about, Ushijima-san?!”

The Schweiden Alder looked up from the essay he was writing and plainly stated, “I am taking notes, as writing things down is an efficient studying method when trying to grasp new concepts.”

“And, uh, what are you studying?” Ohira pressed on, wanting more elaboration.

“Oh, on current slang, memes and everything in between, and what Atsumu said seems like perfect learning material. I have several notebooks at home. I even have flashcards with me if you would like to see.” He reached into his hoodie’s pocket and pulled out some small neon flashcards to show off to the disbelief of his old teammates. 

Semi quickly snatched them and started shuffling through them like a deck of cards. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses as he read through some of them, “Yeet, ‘PERIODT’, floor gang, Netflix and chill, simping, kabedon, something about glow sticks, whaa- there are such detailed lengthy definitions and even examples of how to use them into a sentence, my god Ushijima you put so much effort into these??”

“Thank you, Semi. Tendou, can you come over here to help me analyze the line Atsumu said quickly?” Causing the redhead to scurry over happily, doing his best to stop himself from averting his gaze downward in the direction of Ushijima’s shoes. Ushijima’s nose wrinkled in disgust as Tendou helped him analyze the line, “Why doesn’t he just say it directly?” He asked, genuinely lost and Tendou shrugged.

“Well, it may be less scary for Atsumu to hide behind more ambiguous phrases. It can be really hard to just put yourself out in the open with your feelings bare and naked. In a way, he’s kinda being shy” The redhead explained, though Ushijima couldn’t really relate. Why mince your words if the people you are trying to talk to won’t understand? He really couldn’t wrap his head around this idea as he listened to Atsumu say, “Nice legs, what time do they open?”

“God, or maybe he's not shy!” Tendou cackled, watching Hinata stare back at Atsumu once again before saying, “Um, legs don’t have business hours?”

Ushijima actually understood Atsumu’s line this time and rummaged through his hoodie pocket to find the flashcard with an accurate response in this situation. When he found it, he looked over it before locking on to the back of Atsumu’s head and saying, “Oops, that ain’t it love.” Tendou (and Goshiki) gave a small round of applause, proud that Ushijima was able to apply his knowledge to a real-life situation and Tendou grabbed a gold star sticker from his pocket to stick onto Ushijima’s left hand.

“This is almost too embarrassing to watch,” sighed Ohira, resting a hand on his cheek as he leaned on the shelf.

Semi nodded, “Can’t we do something else now? I’m starvingggg, we should grab a meal together like old times.” Shirabu chimed in with, “I second that.”

Tendou clapped his hands together, “Well that’s ABSOLUTELY great because I know for sure thanks to Twitter that these two are going to eat together at a little restaurant down the street. We can go there in advance and get good spying seats!” At this, everyone but Tendou and Ushijima scrambled up and raced out of the store, not wanting to be hiding behind the same shelf any minute longer. Tendou rolled his eyes, and hurried to go guide his friends as they didn’t actually know the location, but noticed Ushijima not following along. His olive eyes were still trailing the two Black Jackal members as they made their way to pay for their products.

“What’s wrong, Wakatoshi?” Asked a concerned Tendou, peering at the serious look Ushijima was wearing.

“I’m not sure how to put this… but I can’t stand the baseless confidence Atsumu is exhibiting. It irks me.”

Tendou shuddered as feelings of déjà vu crept over him. “I swear I’ve heard this before.” But he quickly brushed it off and the two went to go catch up to their friends.

* * *

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

heart 💔 been broke 📉 so many times ⏰ 

5:24 PM - 1 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

On the outside I skrrt skrrt but on the inside, I hurt hurt

5:25 PM - 1 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Block The Haters - @TendouSatori**   
_In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun_

You’re doing amazing sweetie

5:34 PM - 1 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

* * *

Though it wasn’t fully packed or anything, the sushi restaurant was lively and filled with happy patrons enjoying dinner with friends and loved ones. In one booth, sat Ushijima’s clique and a few booths to the left were the two lovebirds in the making. 

The group had already ordered their food, munching on their sashimi, and rolls listening to Atsumu and Hinata who was looking at their menus for dessert.

“Know what's on the menu, Shouyou-kun? Me-n-u.”

“Ha!” Tendou laughed through a mouth full of rice. “Good one!” Hinata could be heard responding, “The menu is on the menu? What does that mean?” This was followed by a discouraged sigh and a “Nevermind.”

Shirabu took a sip of his miso soup, “I mean, you can kinda see it as charming.” He offered, though it was a bit of stretch in his opinion. Semi gave him a skeptical look, not on board with that train of thought. 

Goshiki was looking at his own menu, wanting to order some dessert too. “Do you guys want some mochi? Ooh, they have some fluffy sponge cake too if you guys want to split it with me.” He cheerfully asked.

“Wait, do you guys smell that?” Tendou suddenly asked. Everyone stopped what they were doing to sniff the air, nothing stuck out from the food in front of them. 

After a large inhale, Ushijima responded, “No, what is it that you smell?”

A horrified look covered Tendou’s face, “It’s the reek of desperation, I think Atsumu is about to pull some ace out of his sleeve.” The gang turned their attention to their targets table once again.

Ushijima watched intently as something on Atsumu’s face morphed into a look that was a mixture of hesitation and hope. He seemed to mouthed some words of encouragement to himself for whatever he was going to do next. The blond pointed at a picture on the dessert menu and said to Hinata.

“The cake they have here has nothing on your ass Shouyou-kun.”

“...”

“What? Are you trying to call me fat or something?” Asked a bewildered Hinata, who felt like he was just insulted. 

“Oh!” Ushijima quietly exclaimed, shaking Ohira’s so forcefully his hat almost fell off, “He’s trying to say that Hinata has a nice butt.” and Ohira wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry for Atsumu.

“Do you think he can ever recover from this?” Ohira asked no one in particular while removing Ushijima’s heavy arm off.

Semi sneered, “Oh please, in the past 2000 years there has only been one resurrection and I'm telling you right now it wasn’t someone’s self-esteem.”

“God how do you even come back from that… I’d just fake my death.” Shirabu awkwardly added, his pity levels through the roof. 

When Atsumu couldn’t think of a response to save himself right away, it probably made the situation worse. “Um, I have to go to the bathroom.” The gang heard Hinata excused himself, watching him swing off his seat and scurrying off, leaving Atsumu alone with his dessert. The setter groaned and devastatingly slammed his head on the table, scaring a waitress walking by.

Tendou eagerly whispered, “Now’s our chance!”

“Huh?” asked Goshiki, “Chance for what?”

The red-head facepalmed himself as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. “To go and help that poor suffering soul out, he’s clearly at the lowest of lows and needs a buddy right now!”

Ohira didn’t look entirely convinced, “But weren’t you the one that went through the trouble of giving us ‘costumes’ to hide our identities?”

“Ohira, my man, that was like a few hours ago, you gotta stop living in the past. But maybe we should be more camouflaged…” Tendou flagged down a waiter walking by with some dirty dishes. 

“How may I help you, sir?” The waiter politely asked. 

With a charming smile, Tendou requested, “We were wondering if you could lend us one of the spare uniforms just for a few minutes?”

The waiter immediately frowned and turned his nose at them, “Um, no? This is a restaurant not a changing room at some clothing store. And how do I know if you’re not going to do something weird with it? I seriously can’t tell if you guys are tacky tourists or runaway circus clowns.” 

Tendou sighed, “I had a feeling you’d say that, take off your shades and fedora for me Wakatoshi.” And Ushijima obeyed. When the waiter saw Ushijima’s face without the brilliant disguise, his attitude did a one-eighty and he began jumping up and down.

“OH MY GOSH!” The waiter fanboyed quietly, not wanting to disturb customers or alert his manager. “USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI I AM A HUGE FAN OF YOURS, I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS YOU RIGHT NOW.” Ushijima looked over at Tendou not knowing what to say. At first, Ushijima thought Tendou was throwing him gang signs but then it clicked what Tendou was trying to communicate through his hands.

“Yes, you are correct. The uniform is just something we need to temporarily borrow for an important quest of ours, do you think you can manage to sneak us one?” 

“Ushijima, you could take my firstborn if you wanted, I’ll go fetch you one uniform right away! Do you need to get changed into it? I can show you the staff washrooms.” 

Tendou jumped in to answer for Ushijima, “YES, I mean yes, Ushijima would love to get changed. Now run along dear ~”

About five minutes later, Ushijima came out in a white button-up dress shirt, black dress pants, a black vest, and a cute bowtie to top it all off. Tendou wolf-whistled while the others gave out their compliments.

“Okay, now that we got that out of the way, what exactly is the plan for Ushijima?” Shirabu questioned. 

“Well, he’s just going to go over and tell Atsumu to square up, right?” Semi supplied, chewing a piece of nigiri. 

Fumbling through his jacket pocket, Tendou pulled out a small black earpiece and set it up on Ushijima’s ear, “There! It’s connected to my phone! That way, we can hear your conversation and we can help instruct you if you’re in a pinch. This will be as easy as throwing a hot dog down a hallway!” He also placed the fedora and shades back on Ushijima. “You’ll also probably need these.”

Ushijima frowned, “I don’t think waiters wear shades though.”

“Just, just say you have pink eye or something! Now go!” shooed Tendou. The group of friends watched Ushjima walk over with suspense, Tendou turning up the volume on his phone for audio from the earpiece. With a heavy plop, Ushijima planted himself in the seat where Hinata used to occupy.

Atsumu jumped in his seat, rattling the utensils on the table. When Ushijima didn’t budge, the blond looked around his surroundings, trying to see if he was secretly being filmed for some prank show.

“Uhhhhh,” He began with a frown, lines forming between his eyebrows. “Can…I help you, Waiter-san?” 

Ushijima tried to break it to Atsumu gently, “You see sir, I actually witnessed your interactions with the orange-haired boy you were eating with.” Atsumu sat up straight.

“Oh god, really? Ughh, just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse.” He whined mournfully. 

“Don’t worry, we all make, uh, mistakes. So I came by and decided to give my take on the situation.”

Then the barrage of voices came rushing in Ushijima’s left ear causing him to physically wince.

“TELL HIM TO STOP BEING AN EMBARRASSMENT.”

“Try unplugging him for 30 seconds and then plugging him back in.”

“Wait, I’m pulling up a list of pickup lines, I’m sure any of these would be better than the ones he pulled out of his ass.”

“Give him a reassuring pat on the head and tell him that we fuck with him for trying but he should stop.”

“God, I knew I should've stayed home today.”

Despite many options to pick from, Ushijima didn’t like any of the ones his friends offered. They didn’t accurately reflect the way that Ushijima felt. He removed the earpiece from his ear and lightly set it on the table before looking Atsumu dead in the eye. Atsumu tried to hide behind the glass of water he was glugging in hopes of avoiding conversation.

“Your strategy for wooing that boy...is fucking awful.” 

Somebody started choking in the background but Ushijima paid no mind. Atsumu rubbed his ears to see if he heard that right. “Excuse me?” He asked, offended. Because this was not proper employee etiquette.

“You heard me right. You cannot properly communicate without hiding behind weird colloquialisms, and that is the root of your problem. When you are not authentic, the only person you fool is yourself.”

Atsumu didn’t think he ordered a large dish of straight facts but he harshly defended himself anyways, “But I do mean what I say, kinda, I-I just, can’t bring myself to say it directly, because I’m worried about straight-up rejection.” Hiding his embarrassed face in his hands. “I can just hope that one day he gets the hint, and it’ll be smooth sailing from there. It’s easier to just avoid going all in. ”

Ushijima made a somewhat sympathetic face before dropping it entirely. “Well, that’s rough buddy. But I don’t think you can build a relationship by suppressing your genuine emotions. Nobody can tell how you really feel. Heck, I can’t tell if you genuinely are infatuated with that boy or if you are just some sort, as the kids these days call it, a ‘fuck boy’.” 

Before Atsumu could start arguing, very heated at being compared to the term, Ushijima cut in.

“Sometimes…” A pause as Ushijima reluctantly began. “I hear people criticize me. About how they think I’m rude because I do not ever sugarcoat my words, or be nice just because it would make somebody feel better. It… made me think there was something wrong with me, always some sort of invisible barrier between me and the rest of the world, since they all talk so differently from me. I felt put off that there was an insider language that I could not comprehend.” Atsumu blinked, mystified, confused at why the waiter seemed to be giving his whole backstory to him.

“But even after I learned more about current slang, memes, and everything in between I think that because of how I am because my feelings and opinions are so transparent, it is so much easier for people to understand how I feel. Yes, sometimes it may be easier to avoid hiding behind minced words but if you try too hard to be what you think others want to see in you, it will be insincere. ”

Smiling to himself, Ushijima looked down at his reflection on the empty plate in front of him. “My friends understand this about me, and support me nevertheless and for that, I’m eternally grateful. I’m glad I met them along the way. I do not need many colorful words for them to know that I’m quite fond of them, and I hope our friendship lasts a lifetime.”

“Perhaps you can try being a little bit more direct with your orange-haired friend of yours. It’s not fun to play guessing games in the game of love.” Ushijima frankly concluded.

Atsumu still wasn’t so sure of all this, “Why should I trust a stranger? “ He skeptically asked, frowning as he looked the strange waiter up and down. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“Oh for the love of…” Ushijima frustratedly heaved, chest deflating. He finally unmasked himself by removing his sunglasses and fedora, throwing Atsumu an exasperated look. 

This Scooby-Doo moment left Atsumu shook to his core, eyes widening comically and mouth agape at the revelation of the waiter’s identity. Nothing could have prepared him for such an insane plot twist. 

“YOU?!”

“Yes, it is I, you expired coupon. I only have so much time left so please focus. As I was saying, you’ll never get anything done by just avoiding what you mean to do and you’ll never be able to communicate your feelings if you bring them up in such a roundabout way.” Ushijima lectured before giving a wistful sigh.

“Ahh, young love. It makes you do crazy things so I understand your brain may be clouded but I am here to defog your mind. ”

“You’re literally only a year older than me.”

A finger was placed on Atsumu’s lip and he looked down in alarm. Ushijima said with his eyes, ‘Shush child.’ and Atsumu nodded slowly. 

“Right now, you are so thirsty that you are draining all the liquid from your soil, and your seedlings are without a source of water. An excellent seedling needs suitably excellent soil. You cannot yield first-rate fruit on such barren land. Understand? "

Atsumu rapidly nodded his head, though he was struggling to wrap his head around how the gardening lesson connected with the rest of this lesson. Ushijima visibly relaxed, glad his message seemed to be getting through.

“Then I think I have said all that I needed to. Thank you for coming to my Ushijima talk” 

“Uhh, do you mean Ted Talk?”

“But my name’s not Ted.” And Atsumu decided to conserve the little energy he had left by not arguing with such logic.

A bright head of orange hair could be seen from the corner of Ushijima’s eye and he knew it was time to leave. He picked up the earpiece on the table and turned it off, put back his hat and shades on and bid his goodbye to the blond, who was still debating on if this experience was real life, or if it was just fantasy.

When Ushijima arrived back at his table after changing out of the uniform and giving an autograph to the waiter, he found everyone staring at him with large tear-filled expecting eyes behind their sunglasses. “Um,” He started, “Are you guys... okay?”

Goshiki flung his arms around Ushijima’s abdomen, getting his shirt stained with tears and snot. “WAHHHH, Ushijima-san! I didn’t know you felt that way about us!”

Ohira nodded, blowing his nose into a napkin. “What you said about us moved us all to tears. We are blessed to be such good friends with you.” Shirabu made an mmhm of agreement with his red blotchy eyes.

Even Semi seemed to have been affected, even though he was rapidly wiping away at his eyes for damage control. 

“Stand up guys, I think this calls for a group hug!” Tendou announced, getting everybody to stand up and huddle around the little space available besides the booth. 

In the middle of their wholesome moment, the manager came over to inform them that they were blocking the paths for their employees and needed to sit back down. 

“Take off your shades, Ushijima.” Instructed Semi, secretly wanting the group hug to last longer and Ushijima obliged. The manager gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth.

“Oh my gosh, sir I am a HUGE FAN of yours!”

* * *

**•The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Ushijima Wakatoshi:** We reaped quite a good harvest.

**Tendou Satori:** ^

**Miya Osamu:**???

* * *

When Atsumu saw who was at his door through the peephole the next day, he wasn’t sure whether to open it or not. He slowly creaked it open, sticking his head out like a turtle in its shell. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company...again?”

Ushijima stood stoically in front of him with a straw bowl filled with vegetables. He offered it to Atsumu. “An apology gift.” 

Atsumu narrowed his eyes, puzzled. “What exactly are you apologizing for?”

Scratching the back of his neck with his hand, Ushijima explained, “I thought long and hard about my actions and have come to the conclusion that perhaps posing as a waiter and interrupting your dinner was perhaps a very rude thing to do.” He extended the basket further. “I hope you accept this and that there are no hard feelings between us.”

Atsumu hesitantly opened the door wider and took the bowl from Ushijima’s hands. He rummaged through it, looking over its contents. “Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce...are… are these ingredients for a salad?” Ushijima perked up at this, feeling a surge of happiness at the fact that Atsumu figured it out.

“Yes!” He exclaimed, a soft smile on his face barely concealing his delight. “A while back, I couldn’t fully enjoy my salad due to your public display of desperation, so I thought that maybe I could let you enjoy one. These vegetables were all grown by me, using soil filled with lots of nutrients, fertilizer I created with my own formula containing a 10% nitrogen- 20% phosphorus- 10% potassium ratio, the plants had their own personal radios with a karaoke playlist I co-created with Tendou and also-”

“Alright alright!” Atsumu shouted, waving his hand. “I trust that these vegetables are of extremely high quality, yes, thank very much.” Ushijima bowed and turned to walk away, while Atsumu stayed in his spot watching him go but halfway down the hallway of the apartment complex Ushijima stopped and turned back to face Atsumu. The lights of the hallway illuminating the area flickered and only shone on part of Ushijima’s face, casting an ominous shadow on the rest of his face. Atsumu made a mental note to tell the building superintendent about the broken light.

Ushijima opened his mouth to speak in a baritone voice, the low pitch vibrating throughout the air. “Though I do regret intervening with your meal yesterday, I do not regret my words. I truly believe it would do you good to heed my advice. Perhaps you do not always have to be so straightforward, even I realize that but in this case, I’m sure it’ll work. ” It took a few seconds for Atsumu to remember what he was talking about. 

“You should come to Shira - oh wait, sorry, wrong line.” Apologized Ushijima, caught up in the moment. He cleared his throat, “You should try speaking from the heart with Hinata, for that is a universal language that transcends even the toughest of brick walls.”

Atsumu nodded sheepishly and sent an awkward finger gun towards Ushijima with his free hand, “Aha ha ah, I’ll like, totally consider it.” His lip quirked up. “ In all seriousness though, thanks for caring enough to advise me.” After hearing that, Ushijima gave a small nod and departed and Atsumu entered his own apartment.

Osamu was watching some show about a super-rich detective and his partner when he noticed Atsumu enter back inside the apartment with his gift. He raised his eyebrows at his twin, “Whatcha got there ‘Tsumu? I didn’t think you went grocery shopping this morning.”

The bowl of veggies was gently placed on the kitchen counter as Atsumu shook his head. “Nah, was given as an apology.” He informed his twin while tracing a tomato with his finger. Atsumu seemed to be thinking deeply about something, much to Osamu’s shock. He didn’t know his twin was capable of such a feat. Osamu turned his attention back to the tv as somebody fell off a bridge on screen, super easy to do as ignoring his brother’s existence was a favorite pastime of his.

A quiet ringback tone reverberated around the apartment, indicating that somebody was calling someone and waiting for them to pick up.

“Hey, Shouyou-kun?” 

That got Osamu’s attention right away, twisting his neck to look at Atsumu washing the vegetables in the sink with the phone pressed between his right shoulder and neck. Osamu grabbed the remote control to lower the volume of his show to make it easier for him to listen in on the call.

“If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cutecumber - "

Osamu promptly dropped his remote, and it hit the wooden floor with a clunk. 

“Because I think you’re really cute. Super cute. Adorable actually. I just wanted to let you know. ”

_WHAT IS HAPPENING,_ screamed Osamu’s brain. The response was muffled and too quiet for Osamu to overhear from where he was so he opted to stare at his twin’s face.

He studied for any dramatic changes in Atsumu’s facial expressions to tell if Hinata was letting the words go over his head or worse but judging by the heavy pink blush Atsumu wore and the gleeful grin he wore, it seemed to be going well on the other end. Guess there’s a first time for anything.

“Osamu and I were just about to make lunch, a salad to be exact, do you wanna come on over?”

_We were??_ Osamu questioned but honestly, it’s been a while since he had seen Atsumu on cloud nine so he sighed, turning off the tv and rolling up his sleeves to go assist his brother. He looked at the basket containing a vast variety of vegetables, impressed with their color and size. He said to himself, “Huh, this _is_ a good harvest.”

The salad they made ended up being the best damn salad the three of them had ever had in their lives.

* * *

  
  
  


**Ushijima Wakatoshi - @UshijimaWakatoshi**

Atsumu is a simp, send the tweet.

9:28 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**HEY HEY HEY** **\- @BokutoKoutaro**  
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi_

DID HE JUST -

9:32 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Nyanyanyanya** **\- @KurooTetsuro**  
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi_

USHIJIMA!!! You dropped this 👑 

9:33 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Tsum-Tsum - @MiyaAtsumu**   
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi_

The DISRESPECT, this is nOT TRUE, what happened to no hard feelings!!!

9:40 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Block The Haters - @TendouSatori**   
_In Reply To @_ _MiyaAtsumu_

LOL IT’S TOTALLY TRUE #EXPOSEHIM

  
  


9:41 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Miya Osamu - @MiyaOsamu**   
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi And @TendouSatori_

This has me ORBITING Earth

9:45 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Tsum-Tsum - @MiyaAtsumu**   
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi And @TendouSatori_

WOW OK, @ me next time C O W A R D S >:0

9:48 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Ushijima Wakatoshi - @UshijimaWakatoshi**   
_In Reply To @_ _MiyaAtsumu_

Oh, my apologies, on which account then?

9:57 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**The Literal Sun - @HinataShouyou**   
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi_

Huh? What do you mean by which account?

10:02 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Sakusa Kiyoomi - @SakusaKiyoomi**   
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi_

WAIT NO

10:06 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter 

  
  


**Kozume Kenma - @Kodzuken**   
_In Reply To @_ _UshijimaWakatoshi And @SakusaKiyoomi_

ABORT ABORT, GG GUYS

10:11 PM - 01 May 2020 - Via Twitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magic school bus don't sue me  
> Thanks as always for reading!


	4. Love Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Where is he?" 
> 
> “Who?” Sakusa innocently replied, cocking his head to the side in mock confusion.
> 
> The blond narrowed his eyes. "I know you have him, the team already told me everything. Let me see him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about time

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Words can’t describe how beautiful Shouyou-kun is <3

8:13 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Sakusa Kiyoomi - @SakusaKiyoomi**

_ In Reply To @iwanttobeinthesun _

But numbers can describe you, -2/10

8:44 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

I know that I’ve now been educated on not being so shameless with Shouyou-kun (which I’ll totes tone down on in real life) but this is a thirst account and I can’t disappoint my 

✨ precious ✨ followers soooooo

9:02 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Whenever i see Shouyou-kun i start barking like a dog i go BARKBARKABRKBARK RRRRGRGRGR WOOF WOOF

9:04 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

I've already lost 3 followers. I will prevail. This is a part of life. This is growth.

9:06 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Block The Haters - @TendouSatori**

_ In Reply To @iwanttobeinthesun _

Wowwww, this is a strong message!!

9:08 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

Treat me like a pirate and give me that booty 😼

9:15 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Nyanyanyanya** **\- @KurooTetsuro**

_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

Shiver me timbers 😼

9:10 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Thirsty Setter - @Iwanttobeinthesun**

I want to make ey* c*ntact with him. For several minutes. And do some premarital h*nd h*lding. Let’s c*ddle.

9:17 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  


**Sakusa Kiyoomi - @SakusaKiyoomi**

_ In Reply To @Iwanttobeinthesun  _

Of all the tweets you chose to sensor ☠️

9:21 PM - 19 Dec 2020 - Via Twitter

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


Sakusa was never the biggest fan of Miya Atsumu.

He could admit that Atsumu was an incredibly talented setter, with remarkable game sense and technique. Atsumu was a man who strived to provide the perfect toss for his spikers while still eager to improve in any way he could. Rivals envy his abilities and fans daydream over his face hoping he’d so much as look at them. He exhibited a casual, friendly, and flirty attitude, the kind that made outsiders think, “Boy, he’s the coolest thing since sliced bread!” (Which sometimes seemed like more praise than he deserved).

Sakusa wasn’t fooled though. He could see right through him. 

Atsumu’s breezy demeanor was just a smokescreen for a man on fucking fire.

Which brings us to Sakusa’s current biggest concern, surpassing even his concern about getting gifts from fans (because who knows where some of them have been).

‘Atsuhina’. Miya Atsumu and Hinata Shouyou. 

Initially Sakusa was somewhat onboard with the plan to get those two together to save the world from Atsumu’s awful pinning but the more he thought about it, the more Sakusa realized that Hinata was way too good for Atsumu. 

Atsumu was Satan in disguise but with piss coloured hair, who seemed to almost always wear a condescending smile on his face as if he knew something you didn’t. He loved to tease and provoke. By some miracle, he hasn’t gotten punched in the face for his snarky comments. His sense of humour was awful as well, Sakusa couldn’t count on his fingers the number of times he and the rest of the team had to launch Bokuto to recover the audience after Atsumu opened his mouth. Tremendously cocky, hosting perhaps half a brain cell, and sprinkle a lazy smirk for spice, mix it together and you get Miya Atsumu.

On the other hand, Hinata Shouyou was the sun, brightening up the room whenever he entered and blessing everyone with warmth and positivity. He drew people in like a moth to a flame, the light at the end of the tunnel. There was something so pure and innocent about him that made people want to dote over him. Hinata always respected Sakusa’s boundaries, asking for permission to high-five and hug him (which of course he would say yes to him), and voluntarily helped Sakusa do an extra scrub down of the locker room after a very hard practice. After only a day and a half since Hinata had officially joined the Black Jackals, Sakusa knew that if anything happened to the orange-haired boy he would kill everyone in the room and then himself.

In conclusion, Atsumu is a piece of shit and theoretically does not deserve Hinata. Atsumu? The one with extreme mood swings? Atsumu? Who doesn’t return the things he borrows? Atsumu? Who accidentally sneezed on Sakusa that one time and only apologized a mere twenty-one times? 

Was the bar on the ground or something?

So far, Atsumu had been quite reckless in his pursuit for Hinata, mostly doing things on the fly. For example, spitting out sad pick-up lines or just ogling Hinata to telepathically send him a message that said, “PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME I’M DESPERATE.” Does the man even have a set plan? Maybe that was why Osamu had created the committee.

There was nothing Sakusa disliked more than people who were careless and unprepared. If somebody was going to try and capture Hinata’s heart, they better go in at least three steps ahead the whole time. 

And it didn’t help that it seemed like Atsumu’s own mental health was deteriorating a few months ago because of his failed attempts at wooing. Atsumu may be a trainwreck but Sakusa still wanted the guy to manage his own health better. 

The Jackals were getting ready to begin practice, doing proper stretching on the gym floor before starting drills. Sakusa walked over to where Meian Shuugo was stretching his legs and seated himself down on the floor besides Meian after giving a quick nod as a greeting. While Sakusa started to do a center split, he turned his head to address the captain.

“What makes you think Atsumu should date Hinata?” He asked after a comfortable silence. The topic of ‘Atsuhina’ had become so casual, it was now equivalent to asking somebody about the weather outside. Meian laughed nonetheless because it wasn’t everyday that it was Sakusa who would start off a conversation like this.

“Well why not? I think the two would make a cute couple! And when you have to watch the pining up close everyday in all its glory, you end up rooting for them you know?”

The two turned to look at Atsumu who was pushing on Shouyou’s back helping him stretch. Atsumu’s cheeks were burning as Shouyou tried to reach the max of his flexibility. Shouyou made little noises of strain and his jersey was lifting up to show a bit of his skin. Bokuto was in the background encouragingly yelling, “Yuhhh, get into it!”

“Thanks for the help, Atsumu-san!” Shouyou cheerily told the setter who turned his head away to hide the colour of his face from the wing spiker.

“Haha, yeah no problem. I’ll always be …” A pause as he seems to reconsider his words. “Here for you.” Atsumu shyly finishes, causing Shouyou to reply with a beaming smile.

“See?” Meian pointed out happily. “Look at my boy, being so sweet with his crush! It feels like only a few months ago that I was overhearing him ask Shouyou weird things such as if he farted cause he blew Atsumu away. This is the character development I am living for.” He tells Sakusa with a proud smile. 

Sakusa snorts in disbelief. “Mmhmm, he’s a real Casanova.” The guy got a pep talk from a few people and now he’s suddenly being praised for basic human decency. 

Meian rolled his eyes at the clear sarcasm. “Oh don't be like that! What’s really bugging you?” Sensing that there was more to what Sakusa wanted to say.

“Don’t you think that Atsumu isn’t good enough for Hinata, as a romantic partner? What if we’re just sending Hinata to his doom by trying to play matchmaker with these two?” Sakusa asks, concern genuinely laced in his words.

The captain raised his eyebrows, “Not good enough?” I’m sure that’s not true!” He rubbed his chin in thought. “He’s...very passionate about volleyball, which means he has the potential to be just as passionate about a significant other. He also goes to such extreme lengths when it comes to Hinata, remember that time Hinata got a papercut while flipping through our strategy binder? Atsumu practically dived to the first aid kit by the benches and bawled the entire time as he applied the bandaid to the miniscule cut!” Meian tilted his head as he tried to think of one more point to drive his argument home. 

“Aha!” He exclaimed a few moments later with a grin. “According to the polls in several sports magazines, people find him quite physically attractive! That’s got to count for something.” 

Meian dramatically gestured with his arms in Atsumu’s general directions. “You gotta agree with his fangirls that he’s pretty easy on the eyes, right?”

“He looks like he would break my ankles with a baseball bat and keep me in his basement.” Sakusa dryly commented.

The captain seemed to consider this as he gave Atsumu a quick once-over. “Huh, well I mean, now that you mention it ... I personally think he looks more like the bee from the Bee Movie but to each their own.” He did one final stretch of his legs before getting up from the floor and gazing around the gym.

“But you know Sakusa,” He began to muse. “Whatever our thoughts on the two, and however we interfere, we’re not the ones calling the shots in the end.” Meian then clapped his hands together to signal to the team to start warming up.

Sakusa looked up from his stretch to watch Hinata, more jittery than usual, race to the cart of volleyballs with Atsumu trailing closely behind. “Yeah.” He responded, not really letting Shuugo’s words sink in.

  
  


* * *

  
  


**• The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Bokuto Koutarou:** Omi-Omi!! When are you gonna play your part and do something about Atsuhina? I at least need you to pretend to provide competition!!!! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)

**Sakusa Kiyoomi:** Yeah, yeah, I got something prepared that will at least give me some participation points.

**Kuroo Tetsuro:** I've been waiting for this one, TURN IT UP Sakusa!! :DDDD 

**Miya Osamu:** Good luck Sakusa! You can tell us all about it in the next official meeting, but don’t ya dare make it as long as Ushijima’s report I swear.

**Tendou Satori:** Whaaat, but we brought you day old sponge cake from the sushi restaurant for you guys to munch on as you listened ʘ‿ʘ 

**Miya Osamu:** There’s only so much sponge cake to eat while listening to an unnecessary detailed description of your stakeout for FOUR HOURS

**Ushijima Wakatoshi:** I take no criticism.

**Tendou Satori:** That’s my miracleeeee boy!

  
  


* * *

After a long drive through traffic, Sakusa finally reached his destination and parked his car outside the apartment complex. A cold gust of wind tousled his hair as he reached to pull the zipper of his jacket higher. He could smell the fresh, earthy scent in the air, hinting of weather to come. It took a few flights of stairs (because he was not going to risk being in an elevator with somebody only a feet away from him), and a bit of wandering (since it had been awhile since he had last visited) but he finally found the apartment number he was looking for.

The faint sound of the doorbell could be heard from outside the door followed by the scampering of small feet across the wooden floor. Sakusa only needed to wait for a few seconds before the door was whipped open by Hinata Shouyou, out of breath and looking more flushed than usual but looking like a puppy who hadn’t seen it’s owner in a day.

“Omi-san” He warmly greeted his teammate. “I was surprised when I got your message that you were coming over, but here you are!” Hinata beckoned the taller man enthusiastically. “I hope you don’t find my place too messy, I managed to tidy it up a bit because I knew you would like that.”

Sakusa gave him a faint smile, “Thank you, Hinata.” And they both made their way to the living room and seated themselves on the sofa. Like Sakusa had requested in his text, Hinata had taken out his home projector and shuffled some furniture around so that there was an empty wall to project on.

After offering some water and Hinata babbling away about his day while Sakusa listened, Hinata finally decided to address the obvious. “Sooooo, what’s the reason behind your visit?” When Sakusa blinked back at him, the orange haired spiker rapidly flailed his hands trying to backtrack on his words. “Not that I’m not happy just to spend time with you but it seems like you came here with a purpose?”

Unzipping the small backpack he brought with him, Sakusa took out a laptop and cable, placing them on the coffee table in front of them. “Your projector, may I use it?”

“Oh, yeah go for it. Usually I use it to watch volleyball matches.” Hinata replied and observed curiously as Sakusa got to work. “Are we going to watch a movie or something?” 

“Not exactly.” Sakusa responded, trying to attach the cable to the right port. “Have you heard of Miya Atsumu?” 

A look of puzzlement crossed Hinata’s face. “Miya Atsumu?” He echoed back, confused.

“Yeah, he’s about yay-high, plays volleyball with us, his eyebrows and hair aren’t the same colour - ”

“Yes, of course I know who he is, Omi-san!” Hinata giggled, quite amused. “But what about him?”

The projector started up and began to show everything on Sakusa’s laptop screen on the wall, and Sakusa began to load a powerpoint. “It has come to my attention that you don’t appreciate Atsumu enough.”

“Haha yea- I’m sorry, wHAT?”

“Relax Hinata, let me go on.” Sakusa continued, walking over to flick off the lights. “So as I was saying, it seems like you don’t fully realize how, cool… Atsumu is. Which is why I have spent my time on a presentation on several reasons why one should think more highly of Atsumu.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“At this point, I’m not sure anymore.”

Covering an area of about three by four metres, the powerpoint’s title slide appeared, illuminating on the living room wall with it’s fascinating aesthetic.

“Oh my god.” Said a stunned Hinata as Sakusa took out a presentation laser pointer from his pocket and stood beside the powerpoint like a university professor.

“I know. Graphic design is my passion. Please make yourself comfortable for the next hour or so.” Sakusa politely instructed Hinata, as he started his presentation.

The next hour was a unique experience, one that couldn’t find anywhere else in the world. Almost like a fever dream. Sakusa had certainly gone all out on this project, with its multitude of visual images, interactive slides, grammatically correct text and even APA citation. Hinata’s mind wandered around ten minutes in, only catching fragments of the speech Sakusa memorized that went along with each detailed slide.

“He has a slight accent, and people like accents. Some even find them hot. Sometimes when I close my eyes while he’s talking, I can clearly imagine a pirate or a hillbilly besides me.”

“Out of all the fake blond setters who live in Japan, have a twin, are twenty-three years old and are a part of MSBY Black Jackals, I have to admit that Atsumu takes the number one spot. Absolute cream of the crop in that category.”

“He’s kinda fit, something you already know because I’ve seen you two work out together. I bet he would be interested in trying different ways of… burning calories with you, do you know what I mean?” (No, Hinata did not know what he meant.)

“He has a pulse. With just that, he’s already meeting many people’s standards, though perhaps yours are higher than that.”

“His humour is superb, everytime he clowns himself in front of fans, they’re always dead silent because they’re stunned by the huge amount of funny he emits.”

“Since he’s a setter, his fingers must be highly dexterous and skilled. Which leads us to the big question, what them fingers do?” This was followed by aggressive throat clearing that sounded suspiciously like, “Especially to petite orange-haired spikers.” 

“Finally, Atsumu has a personality that’s just so... refreshing. Like a run in the middle of the night. Helps remind you that you're alive.

“Cause... cause it feels like you’re dying?” Hinata supplied.

Sakusa gave a nod of approval. “You took the words out of my mouth.”

They had arrived at the end of the presentation. The last slide had a picture that could only be described as Atsumu but from the worst possible angle and the thumbs up emoji beside it. At the bottom of the slide, “The End.” in the same Comic Sans font as the title page.

Sakusa walked over to the projector to turn it off, then disconnected his laptop and put his things back in his backpack. “Thank you for listening to my presentation. Any questions and or comments?” 

Hinata opened his mouth and then closed it.

“Speechless cause I just murdered you with facts, huh? Don’t worry, I understand.”

“Well,” Hinata began slowly. “I thought...er...I don’t really know.” He admitted. “On one hand, I’m really glad I got to see this lovely powerpoint even if I didn’t understand every single thing that you said but on the other hand I already knew that Atsumu doesn’t suck!”

Chuckling escaped from Sakusa as he shook his head in amusement, “And I always knew you were polite but it’s just me here, no need to lie.” Though the presentation was made on behalf of the committee in its mission to get the two together, Sakusa wanted to subtly showcase to Hinata that he was leagues above Atsumu. 

Hinata shot him a quizzical look and said, “But I’m not lying Omi-san? I honestly think he’s great, one of my favourite people in the world!”

Sakusa raised an eyebrow at this statement. “For real?” He asked in disbelief. “I’ll pay double of whatever Atsumu’’s paying you to say that.” When Hinata realized that Sakusa was dead serious, a frown developed on his face.

“Is there something wrong with thinking Atsumu is great? He’s a really caring friend though, and hanging out with him is like swoosh, bam, and gwahh!” Hinata defended.

Sakusa tried to wrap his mind over the information he was presented. “But why?” He argued, flabbergasted. “Have you met yourself?”

Did Hinata not get that he could do better? Find someone who would treat him right, and give him the worship that he deserves? Sakusa did the math and he was certain that Atsumu would not be able to provide that for him.

“Uhhh, I look in the mirror sometimes.”

A frustrated sigh left Sakusa’s lips. “I’m saying that you’re quite likeable and charming, so it baffles me how someone like you could take a shine to Atsumu. I fret that you are getting the short end of the stick in the relation - erhem, friendship. It might be best to be more cautious.” 

Hinata’s eyes softened at Sakusa’s words and once he received a curt nod from Sakusa, he gave Sakusa a reassuring pat on the back of his hand. Sakusa brushed off the unusual shivering of Hinata’s hand.

“Is that it? Omi-san, I didn’t know you were such a softie, like a teddy bear!” Hinata grinned, showing off a small dimple. Sakusa fought the urge to flick him on the forehead for the comment. Hinata then crossed his arms, and put on an exaggerated thinking face. “I can kinda see it from your perspective, Atsumu can be sort of a wild card sometimes but I’ve met a lot of people like that so I’m used to it by now.” He tapped his chin a few times. “I’m not sure how to describe it but when I’m with him, I feel this pull, like a magnetic sensation in my stomach.”

“Is your stomach growling?”

“No! It’s different than that, it’s like there’s this tension between us but a good kind!” Hinata explained. 

Letting his head rest on the back of the couch, Sakusa let out a huff of a breath in temporary defeat. “To be honest, I don't really understand how you feel that way.” 

Instead of getting irritated like most people would expect, Hinata only gave a lethargic shrug of the shoulders. “Does anybody besides me have to understand? As long as I get it, that’s all that matters.” He said before sticking his tongue out teasingly. . 

This conversation really was going nowhere. Perhaps it was time to take a rain check.

Sakusa dryly laughed, devoid of all humour. “Just looking out for you, that’s all.” He lazily rubbed his temples. “I’ll head out now, it feels like my brain is going to overheat if I have to think about this topic for a minute longer.” 

Hinata stood up to walk Sakusa to the door, “I totally get that, I’ve been having a headache all day that I can’t seem to get rid of.” He made Sakusa promise that the two of them will catch a movie together in the future and then bid him farewell.

During the long drive back home, the threatening sky was as cloudy as his mind. The first raindrops of the day plopped against his windshield and people outside ran for cover.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


It was pouring.

From when Sakusa entered the gymnasium to the end of volleyball practice, the clouds were just sobbing away without cease. Over time, the rainfall became heavier because what used to be gentle drizzling against the roof of the gym crescendoed into an overwhelming flood crashing over and over against the building. 

Coach Foster ended practice a few minutes early, this generosity most likely due to the weather. After their cooldown, the Black Jackals worked together to clean up the gym, gathering up stray volleyballs and mopping the floor. Sakusa was trying to mop as fast as he could so he could be one of the first to use the showers. 

A net was left up for Hinata and Atsumu, who usually lingered a little bit longer on the court since they were always eager to practice more in order to hone their skills. The two knew their limits with their extra training so the coach was fine with it.

While heading to the locker room, he could hear the sound of a run up and then the sound of a volleyball ricocheting off the floor. 

A few minutes later, Sakusa was the first to appear out of the showers and changed into his clean set of clothes. He dried his hair as much as he could with a towel and quickly grabbed his things to go back to his cozy apartment, ready to hit the hay after feeling worn out all day. Passing by the gym doors, he peered over at the drained duo who were still going at it, noticing that Hinata seemed to be becoming visibly tired. His hops weren’t reaching their usual spectacular heights, and his synchronization with Atsumu was beginning to unravel. 

Though everyone becomes worn out eventually, Sakusa was surprised because Hinata would usually reach this point maybe an hour or two later, not five minutes after practice was over. 

Sakusa shrugged it off, labelling it as an off day and started to head out before he heard loud sprinting and a concerned, “You good? Oh my gosh, why are you so warm?!” 

He paused, and after a bit of debate in his head, he decided to slide up next to the gym door to eavesdrop, cocking his ears in the direction of their voices. Sakusa could have just walked in and asked if they needed any help but spying seemed like the better call in this situation.

Gah, he was no better than the other fools in the committee.

“Atsumu-san I’m fine, just a… little tired today. Maybe I didn’t pace myself well, haha…perhaps a quick break then?” The words were sluggish and more muted than usual.

Sakusa couldn’t see them without risking exposure to himself, but he could still picture the concern that must have been on Atsumu’s face at the moment. It probably matched the one Sakusa was wearing too.

Aimless pacing around the gym became erratic until he heard some shuffling followed by a determined Atsumu announcing, “There’s a convenience store a few blocks down, I’m gonna get ya some medication so please stay put.” And his footsteps became louder to Sakusa.

Against all better judgement, Sakusa dived behind a nearby vending machine, for the first time in his life fearful of that blond fucker but it didn’t even matter because in Atsumu’s hurry out the gym, he wasn’t even paying much attention to his surroundings, mind focused on one goal.

Once the coast was clear, Sakusa shuffled out of his impromptu hiding spot and finally peeked his head through the gymnasium doors.

Half-leaning his weight on a bench by the wall was Hinata, eyes half closed and wrapped up in a jacket that wasn’t his. It felt like he was looking at an abandoned puppy left on the streets, shaking like a newborn deer trying to stand up for the first time. He looked cold but he was also red in the face, covered in a thin layer of sweat. It wasn’t hard for Sakusa to understand the poor thing was sick to some degree. 

As much as he would have loved to march straight up to Hinata and tried to aid him, he figured he’d be safe than sorry and get some additional reinforcements. He re-entered the locker rooms, raising surprised looks from his teammates who knew he would rather become deceased than come back to the locker room after he had already finished his shower.

“Hinata’s sick.” Two words, but it was all that was needed to get everyone to stop what they were doing and knock Sakusa over as they raced to the gym, clothes on or half dressed.

“Bokuto, analysis!” Meian yelled dramatically as the team hardcore bursted through the gym doors, (doors that have honestly gone through much more than other doors), but Bokuto seemed to already be on the same wavelength. “On it!” He replied and proceeded to Tokyo drift himself until he screeched to a halt by a dazed Hinata.

“Hey kid, hey kid! You good bro?!” Bokuto gently shouted/asked to the best of his abilities while shaking Hinata like those over the top girls at lunch with their boxed salads. This seemed to wake Hinata up from his momentary confusion, his reaction quite delayed which was concerning seeing how he was known for his quick reflexes.

Hinata repositioned himself so he would be sitting up, and blearily faced Bokuto. “Huh? I’m good, Bokuto-san.” But it was a dull response lacking his usual energy. Barnes made a discontent hum and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Why don’t we ask him some skill testing questions to see if he’s really fine?” He instructed Bokuto who nodded earnestly and started asking Hinata questions.

“Hinata, 2 + 2 is ?”

“4?”

“Minus 1? 

“That’s three.”

“Quick math, he’s fine guys!” Bokuto said relieved with a grin on his face.

“Oh for the love of god guys.” Grumbled Tomas, who got Bokuto to move to the side so he could get a closer look at Hinata. He placed the back of his hand on Hinata’s forehead to get a feel of his temperature before pulling it back and sighing sadly. “Sorry kid, but I think you’ve got a fever.” 

“What?!” Hinata cried incredulously with a scratch in his voice. “B-but I try so hard to take care of my health, I-I always watch what I do and w-what I eat -” But was stopped by Sakusa awkward patting his shoulder very stiffly. 

“Nobody’s blaming you Hinata, sometimes these things happen to us no matter how hard we try to prevent them.”

The captain nodded, “We’re all here for you so please take the day or weekend to have some extra rest. Speaking of that, how are you getting home today? What was your mode of transportation?”

Hinata tilted his head in thought before saying, “ I walked this morning, since the rain had stopped last night and I luckily got to the gym before it started raining again. I was planning on taking the bus home if it was still raining.”

“Huh.” Replied Meian before turning to the rest of the Black Jackals. “What the heck are we gonna do now fellas? We can’t make this guy take the trek or bus all the way to his house by himself in this state and weather conditions, plus the fact his house is literally across the city.”

“Why doesn’t he go home with someone for the night? It would do him some good to take it easy for now while being watched over and he can go back home once he feels a little bit better!” Inunaki suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. “So who’s gonna take him?” Meian asked, ignoring Hinata’s complaints in the background that they sound like a kindergarten class deciding what to do with the class gerbil.

Inunaki took a step back with his hands in the air, “Sorry but I had previously made plans to catch up with some old friends”

Tomas stepped back from the group too. “I’m visiting my parents.” He said with a “Sorry!” look on his face.

“Ooh count me out too! Akaashi and I already decided to do stuff together tonight!” Bokuto proudly declared.

One by one, all the Black Jackals tapped out. 

Except for Sakusa.

Damn, do people usually go out on Friday nights instead of staying home in solitude?

It was pure silence as everyone waited for a certain someone to speak up.

Bokuto obnoxiously fake cleared his throat after an awkward minute, and elbowed Sakusa’s rib cage as he started monologuing. “Wowwwww, and nobody’s gonna help him?? Some world we live in!” 

Sakusa realized everyone was looking at him with expecting eyes. “But the guy is literally a carrier of some disease, and you want me to welcome that in _my_ living space??” 

“Think about it dude, you are literally the best man for the job!” Exclaimed Bokuto excitedly. “First of all, your place is so clean anyways it’s the best place for Hinata to go to, you probably have the cleaning supplies to sanitize things too! Secondly, you take so many shots every season I’m like 1000% sure you are immune to anything, like you could lick doorknobs on the daily and still live another day!”

Meian faked coughed and added, “Um and thirdly, you don’t seem to have any plans right? Can you really sleep at night knowing you left _Hinata Shouyou_ alone to suffer by himself while you, I don’t know, lie in bed and do nothing tonight? Your place is literally not that far from here too.” 

Sakusa probably would not sleep soundly if he did that, unless he took an Advil or something.

He spared Hinata one more glance who had also been staring at him with expecting puppy eyes. _Here we go again, time to do some charity work._ Sakusa groaned and gave in, “Fine, I’ll babysit him tonight.”

Sakusa tried his best to tune out the team’s impromptu cheer routine as he gathered all of his and Hinata’s things and walked out of the gymnasium with Hinata to the chants of, “ _Sakusa’s the best! Sakusa’s the best!”_

Sakusa swore they forgot something or left something behind. Did he forget an object from the gym? He got all of his and Hinata’s possessions. A person? Can’t be. All he needed to bring was himself and Hinata and both were present in the car. He brushed it off because if it was really important he probably would've remembered it.

He made sure Hinata was seated comfortably in the back of his car and both their seatbelts were in properly because safety. With that, he backed up and drove out the parking lot of the gymnasium.

Lightning streaked across the clouds, lighting up the dark sky. It had been a comfortable silence until Sakusa felt the need to interrupt it.

“Mr. I Got A Fever Again.” 

Weak laughter followed, “Don’t say it like it’s some sort of nickname, Omi-san.” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything else” Sakusa asked Hinata after settling him under a light in the bed of his guest room. A cool rag was placed on Hinata’s forehead in an effort to cool it down, providing him temporary relief and the rest of his body was covered in a thin blanket. When Sakusa didn’t get an immediate answer, besides the sound of rain smashing against the balcony window of the room and unevening breathing, he lightly prodded the lump that was Hinata. “Knock knock, anybody in there?”

Hinata groaned as he cracked open an eye. “With all due respect, I feel like you’re making fun of me, Omi-san.” He made another noise of discomfort as he fidgeted around the small bed. “I’m good, I’ll be relatively fine if you leave me on my own. Don’t wanna take up too much of your time.” 

Sakusa noted how rough Hinata sounded and made it his next mission to grab a glass of water for him. Hydration is important after all, the body can get easily dehydrated when one is sick from the amount of fluid the body uses. He hovered by the doorway before completely leaving the room, glancing back to see Hinata’s back. He was facing the balcony window, quietly watching the water stream down endlessly.

“Yell if you need anything okay?” He called out, hoping it would reach Hinata. The lump on the bed made a sound of acknowledgement and that was enough for Sakusa.

In the kitchen, he took his time to make the perfect cup of water, wanting to let Hinata be on his own for a little while longer. He started to browse through what he had in his refrigerator and cabinets, assessing possibilities for dinner.

Thunder shook his apartment, the pounding of the sky filling his head, making it hard to even think. It took him awhile to realize that the thunder hadn't been going on continuously for the past few minutes, but instead somebody was furiously knocking on his door. Just his luck.

_This might get messy_ , he thought to himself. Sakusa pumped some hand sanitizer onto his hands and made his way to the source of the noise. He didn't need three guesses and a hint to know who was behind the door.

He swung open the door, and then immediately slammed it closed. Unfortunately, Miya Atsumu’s stupid right foot got in the way. 

“Don’t ya dare Omi-Omi.” Scoffed Atsumu, who forced the door open, much to Sakusa’s displeasure. 

_What happened to hello? How are you? My name is?_ He internally grumbled.

Sakusa finally got a good look at his surprise visitor and made a noise of disgust as he saw how his teammate was absolutely drenched in his clothes, almost resembling a witch in the process of being melted with water. 

"You look like a fish who drowned in the ocean.” Sakusa noted with mirth.

Atsumu did not return the amusement. "Where is he?" 

“Who?” Sakusa innocently replied, cocking his head to the side in mock confusion.

The blond narrowed his eyes. "I know you have him, the team already told me everything. Let me see him." 

Huh, straight to the point. Sakusa could do that. He crossed his arms and bluntly spoke, “He’s sick with a fever right now, you ‘gracing him with your presence’ will most likely do more harm than good. Don’t you think you’re being reckless here?”

Atsumu held up a plastic bag that was slowly creating a puddle on the hallway floor. “I told him I would get him medicine, I promised him.” He said, eyes scanning behind Sakusa’s head looking for any sign of orange. “I should've noticed that my spiker wasn’t in top condition, and right now you're in my way of helping him.” He ended with a hint of scorn.

“I doubt Shouyou-kun even wants to see yo- “

“Shut yer trap.” Atsumu growled. “Only I get to call him Shouyou-kun.”

“It’s his FUCKING name, Miya.” Sakusa stresses while rubbing his temples. “Look, you got his medicine, can’t you just deliver it and be off on your merry way?”

Now Atsumu started looking a bit embarrassed and was shuffling his feet. “Ah well, I just… really want to make sure he’s okay? Can’t I stay with him?”

“Are you insinuating I invite you in?” Sakusa asks in disbelief. This seriously shifts his plans for the night if he has to babysit _two_ gremlins. “How do I know you’re not just here to fuel your little wooing agenda?”

“My _what_?” 

“It’s written all over your face!” 

“First of all, stop pointing at my face, it’s rude! And you don’t know that!”

“I know everything I need to know about you!”

“Pshh, you do?” 

Sakusa pulls up Atsumu’s thirst account.

“Ah. Perhaps you do.”

The two continued to stare each other down until Atsumu spoke.

“While… it is true that I really l… fancy him quite a bit but that shouldn’t take away how I feel about him as a close friend, teammate and overall person. Let me help you take care of him! Many hands make light work right? I can do most of the hands on work so you won’t have to be too close to him and his sickness, use me as a human shield! Your marionette puppet!”

A determined glint appeared in his eyes as he quietly murmured, “Trust me, and… and I’ll see through it that he’s well.”

“A-Atsumu-san?” Hinata’s voice weakly called out from inside the guest bedroom, grabbing Atsumu’s attention instantly. The ferocity in his eyes dissipated as quickly as it came and was replaced with something unreadable. “Atsumu-san, are you here?...”

Atsumu’s hand reached out to push the door out more but quickly retracted it back. He looked at Sakusa, pleading and looking desperate. “Please, he needs m- no, I need to see him.” 

Sakusa could only imagine the turmoil going on in his head. Atsumu wasn’t wrong in some of his points, it may be easier to manage Hinata with some extra help. 

And god, with the way Atsumu was looking at him and with Hinata’s faint voice in the background, it really made him feel like the villain here. 

“Remember you said you’re here to assist, okay? So you’re supposed to be making my job easier, not harder.” Sakusa reminded Atsumu crossly. “I'm not going to be carrying you while helping Hinata.”

“Pshh, no one's carried me since my momma.”

Sakusa ran a hand through his hair before stepping back from the doorway. “Just don't do anything indecent. ”He sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Atsumu waved off with a flick of his wrist as he made his way to Shouyou’s room, trying his best to hide the huge amount of relief and happiness that washed over him. “Ya don't need to tell me twice.”

Sakusa grabbed an extra towel from a storage closet and threw it in Atsumu’s direction. He sternly instructed Atsumu, “After you poke your head in and say hi, go shower you fool. You’re soaking wet right now and can’t have you catching something too.” _Besides the love bug,_ he internally thought to himself. “Leave your stuff in the guest bedroom, you can stay there tonight.”

“You got it! I’ll do exactly that after a minute of checking in with Hinata-“

“Also you’re not allowed to fully close the door, at least leave it partially open. I don’t trust you being in a room alone with him.” Sakusa added.

“Umm, okay I guess?”

“And if I find any mysterious marks on Shouyou, just know that I will not hesitate to boil your teeth.”

“...”

“By the way, the walls aren’t soundproof.”

“Oh my gosh, I’M NOT AN ANIMAL, RELAX YOUR PANTS.”

  
  
  


* * *

**• The Official Atsuhina Committee •**

**Sakusa Kiyoomi:** Life is soup and I am a fork 

**Kozume Kenma:** Facts

**Miya Osamu:** Lol ya feeling under the weather or something? 

**Sakusa Kiyoomi:** Your brother is staying over at my apartment

**Miya Osamu:** Understandable, have a nice day

**Kuroo Tetsuro:** #savesakusa2020

**Ushijima Wakatoshi:** Speaking of soup, would you like me to give you my recipe for chicken noodle soup? I heard of what happened with Hinata.

**Sakusa Kiyoomi:** Sure, send it to me Wakatoshi-kun. I’ll get Atsumu to make it for Shouyou

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Oh dear.” Akaashi remarked with furrowed brows as he made himself comfortable on the couch. “Do you think he’ll be alright?” He asked Bokuto, worried about poor Hinata. 

Bokuto came back to the living room with a blanket under the arm and a bowl of snacks. The two were setting up the couch to watch some shows together as they couldn’t really go out tonight due to the weather. Bokuto swung himself over the couch and plopped down besides Akaashi. ”I’m sure my little discipline will recover in no time, after all he’s even got Omi-Omi and Atsumu playing nurse for him.” He paused to snicker cheerfully, “That sly dog!” 

“You said earlier that Atsumu wasn’t present when the team decided to send Hinata home with Sakusa, right?” 

Cackling erupted from Bokuto as he recalled the events from earlier. “Gosh, you should have been there! It was just a few minutes after the two had left and the rest of the team was still in the gym discussing about how to improve our Sakusa cheer for next time, I was actually thinking of adding a human pyramid-”

“Of course Bokuto.”

“And we just saw Atsumu make a super dramatic entrance through the door, it literally felt like a movie scene. He was super soaked, panting heavily, and smelling like a wet dog. He then looked at everyone and was like, where's my good bro Hinata I got him the good stuff blah blah blah. After we informed him about how Sakusa would take care of him tonight, he kinda just, glitched but in real life? And then dashed out after grabbing all of his belongings.” 

“You guys didn’t stop him or anything?” Akaashi queried.

Bokuto snorted as started to flip through Netflix, “Well we didn’t think he’d do anything too weird, we all expected he’d crash Sakusa and Hinata’s little party but we thought that would be good so yeah! Hopefully Atsumu is making himself useful right now.”

“Yeah, hopefully you’re right.” Akaashi replied. He then scooted closer to Bokuto and nudged him gently with his arm as a hint. Bokuto took it and wrapped his arm around Akaashi’s shoulder while pulling the blanket closer around them.

“Ooh!” Bokuto exclaimed, paused on a certain show’s thumbnail. “I’ve always wanted to watch this! Kitchen Nightmares, you good with that?”

Akaashi nodded, “Yeah, I’m good with that, it’s kinda shocking how some people can be so bad at cooking.”

“I know right?”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“How the hell did you BURN SOUP?!”

Sakusa shouted over the sound of a stock-pot engulfed in flames, the fire tickling his ceiling. He had left Atsumu on his own for the past twenty minutes to do other housework that needed to be done, so that while he was doing laundry and such, Atsumu was following along a very clear and simple recipe for soup, courtesy of Ushijima.

He didn’t think anything could go terribly wrong but all hope was lost when he heard Atsumu yell for him, “Uhhhhhh, can you help me with something? PLEASE DON’T BE MAD!”

Wearing an apron that said, “Your opinion wasn’t in my recipe.” (An old gag Christmas gift from Osamu), Atsumu was hectically trying to get it under control, a wet towel in the right hand, and left hand trying to turn down the heat.

“Dude, I don’t even know!!” Atsumu wailed pitifully. “I took my eyes off the pot for a minute and suddenly BAM it’s on fire! I didn’t even know broth could do that, like I thought liquids just evaporate when warm or something so I’m pretty sure this ain’t even possible?!” He took a second to admire the sight of a bonfire being born on Sakusa’s stove before sighing and saying, “Damn, I’m so good I defy the laws of science.”

Once they turned off the heat and smothered all of the flames, they both peered into the pot to see if the soup survived. Honestly, it looked like pretty standard chicken noodle soup. If they picked out the very obvious carrots, Sakusa wouldn’t be able to tell that anything happened to it. His nose wrinkled as he wondered if they could legally feed Shouyou this.

He turned to Atsumu for his opinion.

The setter cautiously used a ladle to scoop some of the soup and gave it a good sniff. After passing the smell check, he tentatively took a sip and moved it around his mouth like mouthwash. His eyes widened as he swallowed. He turned to face Sakusa with glittering eyes and he proudly exclaimed with a smile, “Call me Ratatouille cause I’m the finest chef in Japan!”

Sakusa grimaced, resisting the urge to drown in the soup in front of him. “There are so many things wrong with what you just said but let’s start with this, you’re saying this is actually edible?”

Another ladle was shoved in front of Sakusa to which he let out a big sigh before taking it and getting a very small amount of the soup. 

Now the taste…Sakusa wasn’t sure if the dictionary was advanced enough to accurately describe the absolute experience his taste buds were having.

“Party in ya mouth right?” Atsumu eagerly asked.

“Mmm, I can feel the hangover coming.” Sakusa winced before swallowing the rest of the liquid. It didn’t taste _that_ bad, but it wasn’t enjoyable either. He had earlier informed Hinata that Atsumu would be making them dinner today and the guy looked so excited (well as excited as he couldn’t be while kinda dying), should they really deny him of a once in a lifetime experience? 

After giving Hinata his dinner to which he gratefully took even after he described the flavour as, “crispy??”, Sakusa and Atsumu awkwardly sat on opposite sides of the only couch in the apartment, pondering what to do to waste time. Atsumu tried to start a conversation.

“So the weather, huh? Rain am I right?”

“Um yeah. It's like that sometimes.”

“...”

“...”

“So Atsumu, do you have any siblings?”

“Uh a twin brother, his name is Osamu, you’ve met him before?”

“Ah, right.”

“...”

“...”

  
  


_Okay so I’ll call lights out at 10:30pm and it’s currently 8:30pm right now._ Sakusa contemplated, doing the necessary calculations in his head on how long he’d have to suffer under such unpleasant circumstances. _That’s four 30 minutes, twelve 10 minutes, and twenty-four 5 minutes. It’s also 7 200 seconds. I can do this._

He tossed the remote control at Atsumu who clumsily caught it. “Your pick.” He instructed. Yes, yes, mindless television always passes the time quickly.

But even these two got bored of watching some trash reality TV shows that were so obviously scripted, the people in the show talked like sock puppets and moved like Sim characters.

Atsumu yawned, stretching his arms out after an hour or so of sitting still and letting the garbage show marinate in his head. He spotted Sakusa’s laptop from the corner of his eye, sitting in the little shelf part under the coffee table. “Do you happen to have Netflix or something? Can we find something to watch there please?” He eagerly asked, pointing the laptop out to Sakusa who was midway through falling asleep, head lolled on the back of the couch from being worn out all day.

“Hmm?” He murmured sleepily, before doing a ‘bring it here’ gesture with his fingers. “Yeah sure, let me unlock my laptop for you.”

Sakusa typed in his password and passed back the laptop for Atsumu to find another show. He was about five minutes away from being unconscious, the TV lulling him to sleep with the show still playing with some woman crying, “My diamond earrings noooo I’ve lost them.” 

Just as he was about to let the sweet release of sleep take him over, Sakusa was being rudely poked on the cheek with a calloused finger.

“Don’t fall asleep on me you fool! The fuck is this?!”

Sakusa lazily opened an eye to see a red faced Atsumu holding out his laptop with the PowerPoint he created for Shouyou.

Oh shit.

“Uhh, I don’t see the problem here?” Sakusa lamely supplied, shifting his weight side to side on the couch.

“W-what?!” Atsumu spluttered outrageously. “You have a whole ass university lecture powerpoint on insulting me, with the worst choice of pictures by the way, these pics got my nose all wrong but the point is that this is _certainly_ a problem?!”

Sakusa muttered under his breath, annoyed, “Well it’s not my fault your fan sites are slaking.”

Choosing to ignore this comment, Atsumu continued to press on the issue. “That doesn’t explain why you created this monstrosity?” The frown still remains permanent on his face. “Did… did I do something to offend you? Because if so, I’m sorry? I thought we were cool.”

You know how sometimes when people become very honest when they drink too much? That applied to Sakusa, but it also applied to him with tiredness. 

The gloomy weather, the chaotic day, and being poked in the face right while he was at the cusp of sleep, all factors that left him just a bit exhausted today.

Maybe that was why the frontal lobe of his brain wasn’t fully functioning when he decided to word vomit his thoughts to setter on the other side of the couch.

“I made it for Hinata to see because I wanted to make a showcase of all your positive traits to show that you were a good enough person for him to possibly date.”

_Guess we’re really doing this,_ Sakusa thought.

Atsumu could probably catch flies if he kept his jaw dropped to the floor like that for any longer. Once he recovered, he continued his interrogation. “Look man, I don’t know if we read two different powerpoints or what cause this didn’t seem like it was made for the purpose to shed a positive light on me.” He spared a glance back at it, “I feel like this is honestly sabotage.”

Sakusa gave a half-assed smile, “Well you know what? Good, because I don’t really think Hinata should date you.” And with that, the cat was out of the bag.

Atsumu was stunned into silence. His unblinking stare seemed like it was looking through Sakusa.

“Why?” He quietly asked, face scrunched up in thought. Then he repeated a little stronger, voice cracking. “Why? What makes you say that?”

The tone of his words made Sakusa squirm in his feet for a second before the train wreck of truth continued to tumble out of his mouth.

“I personally think that Hinata could do better that’s all. It’s not that you’re absolutely awful or anything but I think Hinata should set his standards higher because that’s what he deserves.” Sakusa’s words cut like an unsheathed sword.

“What he deserves? Do better?!” Atsumu seethed through his teeth. “And who are you to decide that for him?”

“I’m his friend who’s just looking out for him. I don’t think you’d be a good match for Hinata after observing you and having spent time with you for a while.” Sakusa argued.

“So? Who cares?” Atsumu blankly replied.

Sakusa started getting ticked. “Don’t you care for Hinata? I know you’re head over heels for him but get your head out of this _fantasy_ of yours and actually take some consideration into this and realize that maybe you weren’t meant to stand beside him in the way you thought.”

Atsumu's lowered lip trembled. “Don’t you think I’ve already had?! You think I asked to be hit by a truck of unknown emotions when I first saw him? I can’t control how I feel for him, nobody can change that!”

“Besides it’s not your life, it’s not your potential relationship so it’s not your fucking business. Why are you so obsessed with him and I?! Sounds more like fan behaviour to me.” Atsumu scoffed. “You’re entitled to your opinion as much as I’m entitled to mine, but this is _my_ life and I’m the only person who needs to approve of my own choices.”

“When you care for someone, don’t you want what’s best for them?” Sakusa debated. “Hinata is an incredible person that everyone loves, so wouldn’t _we_ be hesitant when somebody as obnoxious as you try to weasel into his life?”

“We, who is we? Oui speaking French right now? You don't know what's best for either of us, your best could be our worst. Only I know what’s best for myself, and that requires learning from my own choices.”

Atsumu let out an exasperated huff and stretched his arms, trying to subtly rub his red eyes. He glanced at Sakusa before continuing his speech.

“The only way for someone to truly learn is by making their own decisions, and then taking full responsibility for them. That way, if you do fail, at least you can learn from it wholeheartedly, instead of blaming somebody else.”

“I know that you can't force someone to like you, just like you can’t force someone to get rid of their feelings. So if I ever find out that a future with him was never meant to be … I’ll accept that.”

“But until then, I’ll continue being selfish by continuing to take in his warmth. And… with time hopefully, maybe my fantasy will become a reality.” He blushed before shrinking away like a shy mimosa plant.

Sakusa found the floor really interesting as he looked down. “You always seemed like bad news. Do you really mean what you say? How can I believe you?”

“I promise. I’m serious about Shouyou. Maybe... I had a bad start with this whole pining after him but…” Now it was Atsumu’s turn to take an interest in the floor.

“I can’t go back and change that beginning...but I can do what I can, starting from where I am now to change the ending.”

“I’m sorry I left that sort of impression on you for so long Sakusa. I really do. I’ll make it a personal goal of mine that one day I’ll be able to prove to you and the whole word the depths of my affections for Shouyou, even if it’s not reciprocated.” 

The two shared a comfortable silence, the show that used to play on the TV was long over. The atmosphere seemed lighter after both of them had finally gotten rid of pent-up frustrations that had been boiling inside them for too long.

“We’ll see.” Sakusa responded wistfully as a last remark. He checked the clock on the wall and lo and behold, it was finally 10:30pm. “I think it’s time we get some shut-eye.” He suggested, blinking his weary eyes, standing up from the couch with Atsumu following suit.

Right before they headed to their respective rooms, they heard Hinata meekly calling for them. The guy seemed to have been tossing and turning all over his bed, the sheets crumpled and all over the place. Usually, a bed was a place to find peace but Hinata truly looked uncomfortable, most likely due to fighting his fever.

“I’m just having trouble falling asleep a little bit.” He told them while stifling a yawn. “Do you guys think you could give me some company?”

Atsumu smiled, mood elevated. “No problem.” He answered, pulling up a small stool to sit by Hinata’s bed. Sakusa chose to make himself comfortable in the arm-chair in the corner of the room because after all he was supposed to babysit these two. They immediately started to talk about some mindless topic, until they slowly drifted to sleep.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


As the hours went by during the night, all throughout the house apartment, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. No, scratch that, Sakusa definitely heard stirring.

Sakusa was always a light sleeper, so when he thought he heard quiet whimpering from somewhere around him, he was roused from his sleep. He slightly cringed when he felt sore all over his body and realized he had fallen asleep in an armchair. 

He peeked open one heavy eye to look at the source of the noise that woke him up. It was Hinata, who was fidgeting in his sleep, hands gripping the sheets to death. Small little puffs of air escaped his dry mouth, as his face became redder and redder. A bad dream maybe? 

Before Sakusa could even decide to get up and assist the poor thing, gentle murmuring filled the room from Atsumu who had stirred from his slumber without Sakusa noticing. 

Sakusa froze in his spot, not daring to breathe too loudly and give away that he too was awake. His body was positioned so that it was directly facing the bed so he put in his all to relax his face and keep his eyes open enough to see but not show he was hardcore peeping.

The blond (who had used part of the bed to sleep on while on his stool as you would on a desk at school) had groggily sat himself up and began to calmly coax Hinata with words Sakusa could barely just hear. 

“Hey.” Atsumu tenderly spoke in a soft indistinct voice. “It’s okay, you’re okay.” His fingers lightly stroked Hinata’s arm in a specific pattern over and over again that Sakusa couldn’t figure out. When Hinata didn’t seem to be getting less vocal, Atsumu’s fingers travelled down Hinata’s arm until they loosened the fists that were balling up the bed-sheets and threaded their hands together. “Shhhh, you’re safe, there’s nothing to worry about.”

A heavy sigh left Atsumu as he stared at Hinata's face, an expression torn between enthralled and remorse.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this, being sick is never fun. I wished you had told somebody so we could have helped earlier on. I need you to continue shining brightly in my dull life.” 

A pause.

“You’re beautiful, ya know that? Even when you’re feverish.” Atsumu confessed into the night. “You mean so much to me, I don’t have enough words to describe this. I so desperately need your, “Yes.” but I’m a patient man. After all, I waited around seven years just to set to you.”

He then held up their laced hands without disturbing Hinata too much, to look at them with the little moonlight coming through the window. The setter let out a small chuckle before quietly musing, “Your hand fits perfectly in mine.” His grip seemed to tighten on Shouyou’s hand. “Now that I’ve found you, I don’t think I could ever let go. I like being with you and I hope to continue to.”

Sakusa felt like this was totally an invasion of privacy, listening in on Atsumu’s inner desires. It felt different from having to read about it through tweets than to hear it out loud. He tried shutting his eyes tightly to fall back asleep but that just made him feel more awake. He was totally going to come out of this situation with some cavities.

“Hey Shouyou-kun?” Atsumu spoke out loud to nobody really, because Hinata was still asleep, his whimpering gone but shuffling still incessant and to Atsumu’s knowledge, Sakusa was still fast asleep. “It’s okay if you will never feel the same way as I do. Never want me like I do you, the way I want you the same way the Earth soaks up the rain and the way flowers move towards the Sun. Because I’ll be okay.” Sakusa could hear the small smile on his face.

“It will really be fine.” Atsumu continued, his voice light but shaken. “I know not everyone will like me, I do got quite the flaws here and there.” He laughed. “And after all, you can’t please everyone. As great as it is to get other people's approval, I can’t burn myself out living up to other people's expectations. At the same time, I can’t make you feel things you don’t feel.”

Sakusa watched as Atsumu began to lean in closer to Hinata’s face, Sakusa’s heart beating through his chest, sweat pooling in his hands in anticipation as he watched it all unfold.

“Just let me stay by your side and bask in your warmth.” 

Atsumu pressed his lips briefly against Hinata’s forehead, lingering before pulling away. 

“And I’ll be the happiest man in the world.”

_Oh, to see without my eyes,_ Sakusa lamented, slightly abashed that he witnessed such a private moment. A moment that wasn’t meant to be witnessed by outsiders.

The moment Atsumu’s lips left Hinata’s forehead, it seemed like the entirety of Hinata’s face softened, as if finally being freed from a painful curse. His fidgeting seemed to stop and whatever was bothering him had left. Atsumu’s face rippled with joy at the sight of Hinata at peace, eyes with passion as he lovingly looked over him before he rested his arms back on the bed. While keeping his and Hinata’s hands still intertwined, he laid his head down, and after a few minutes, the room was back to being silent, Atsumu falling asleep.

Sakusa let out a breath (quietly), having been too scared to breathe loudly, not waiting to interrupt… _whatever_ was going on. A wave of emotion suddenly rocked over Sakusa, as he processed everything he just watched.

Was he hallucinating or something because that was a different side to Atsumu he had never seen before. Sakusa’s head was racing with thoughts as he compared his old viewpoint of Atsumu with the new information he received. He was pretty sure his opinion of Atsumu still stood true, but... there’s more to him than what he presents on the outside.

Tremendously cocky, hosting perhaps half a brain cell, and sprinkle a lazy smirk for spice and that was Miya Atsumu. But maybe it's more accurate if you add a splash of passion for his desires (volleyball and Shouyou) and flowery confessions of love (even if Atsumu has never used that word to describe it _yet_ ). Maybe that’s Miya Atsumu.

Sakusa closed his eyes, continuing to think about this as he drifted to sleep. Right when he was about to fall back asleep, he remembered how only a few hours ago Atsumu had declared that he _would_ prove to Sakusa the depths of his affections.

_Aw, fuck. This fool really did it._ Sakusa internally groaned.

He thought back to how Atsumu once promised to set for Hinata, right after his loss against Karasuno.

Sigh.

Atsumu did have a knack for making his declarations come true.

* * *

Sakusa shuffled into the kitchen, his nose following a nice aroma leading him there. He was bleary-eyed and still a bit sore from sleeping in the armchair. The sun was beginning to rise, it’s first rays streaming through the window. A warm golden light was illuminating his apartment, filling him with a fuzzy feeling after such a wicked storm last night.

He almost got a heart attack when he saw a stranger making tea in his kitchen until he realized it was just Atsumu, who he didn’t notice had left Shouyou’s room already. There were some newly cleaned cooking utensils in the drying rack, droplets of water sliding off some spoons and a rice pot.

“Is Shouyou-kun still asleep?” Atsumu quietly asked, assuming the answer to his question was yes. Sakusa nodded in reply as he started looking for his mug in his cabinets, and saw two bowls of tamago kake gohan, golden yolks sitting in the middle of a rice nest. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and a splash of soy sauce from the looks of it, both bowls were still warm, evident from the wisps of heat rising from them. _Ah, Shouyou’s favourite._ He saw a little note besides one of the bowls that said, “For Shouyou-kun, from Atsumu.”

“No plate for me?” Sakusa half joked to Atsumu as he poured his own cup of tea into his mug. He wouldn’t really be offended if Atsumu didn’t make him a plate.

Atsumu blinked back at him, “No, it is yours. One for you and one for Shouyou.” He told Sakusa as he set aside a cup of tea next to one of the bowls.

A surprising feeling of disappointment bubbled up in Sakusa’s chest. “Are you not gonna eat breakfast with us?” 

There was a small smile on Atsumu’s face as he shook his head softly. “No, I’m gonna head back to my own place, I think I might have overstayed my welcome, haha.” He laughed quietly. “Even with the given circumstances, I don’t think I can handle having him wake up next to me. Maybe in the future, but right now I’m worried that if I have it just once, it might kill me when I go back to real life, ya know?”

_Oh please, don’t be such a Negative Nancy_ or _hey, the trees are not producing oxygen for you to spew this nonsense_ was what Sakusa would have said, and if it was only a mere twenty-four hours ago, he probably would have it with no hesitation.

But now, that seemed...inappropriate for the situation.

Now, Sakusa didn’t know what to say, only contributing an awkward silence for a response. So he remained quiet as he watched Atsumu finish up in the kitchen and silently accompanied him as he went to fetch his things from the guest room and walk towards the door.

Sakusa had sat himself on the couch, watching Atsumu leave before something came over him and he stood up exclaiming, “Wait!”

Atsumu curiously turned around, already halfway out the door, one hand on the doorknob. “Yes?”

“Uhhhhh.” Damn, he really didn’t plan this out. “I... feel like how I phased things yesterday were kinda uh out of line.”

“Pftt, just kinda?” Atsumu laughed, a wide grin on his face causing Sakusa’s face to burn in shame.

He grumbled disdainfully. “Yes, just kinda. The point is, I, uh, re-evaluated my opinion, and I’m sorry about some of the stuff I said last night.”

Atsumu’s eyes widened, “An apology from Sakusa?! No way!” He blurted out, teasingly.

“Don’t push it kid.” Sakusa glared before continuing. “I thought about some of the things you said, and you were right. At the end of the day, I’m neither you nor Hinata and can’t make choices for you and I shouldn’t have so aggressively tried to push my opinion to inhibit you from living your life. Additionally, I realized that maybe, I had the wrong impression of you. That powerpoint was not accurate. You’re...really not the worst.”

_Oh god, is Atsumu seriously tearing up?! Sakusa noticed incredulously. That wasn’t part of the impromptu plan!!_

“Anyways, I wanted to tell you that I fully support you and your pursuit of Hinata.”

“Thank you Sakusa, it really means a lot to hear this, especially from you.” Atsumu sniveled, eyes bubbling. “What made you change your mind?”

“You poured your heart out yesterday, that's all I really needed to hear. It was a confirmation of things I didn’t know.”

Atsumu smiled before Sakusa added, “Oh and I saw you kiss him on the forehead last night.” Causing the blonde to wheeze.

  
“There’s not much to keep secret.” Sakusa snorted while scratching his jaw. “I’ve seen better kisses on an envelope.” He admitted much to Atsumu’s embarrassment, judging from the light red dusting his cheeks.

Sakusa decided to rescue him from his embarrassment with one last comment, “Once this whole adventure is all over, the three of us should hang out sometime. You know, when one of us isn’t sick.”

“Really?!” 

“Yes, really. And if you ever need somebody to talk to about your pining adventures, well, I'm like a convenience store, open 24/7.” Sakusa rolled his eyes fondly.

Atsumu felt a flush of gratitude well up inside him. “Sakusa!! I promise I won’t disappoint you!”

“Yeah yeah, no need to unnecessarily repeat yourself again for the millionth time. You're sounding like the conclusion paragraph of an essay. Leave my apartment already.” 

And with that, Atsumu was gone. Sakusa slumped down on his couch in relief, having felt like he just took a run in the middle of the night. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, a pillow was being thrown at his face. 

Sakusa opened his eyes to a cheery Hinata, who was definitely glowing more than he was yesterday.

“Hi Sakusa! You looked so happy while you were asleep so I didn’t want to wake you up at first but I just finished my breakfast from Atsumu and washed my bowl and am about to leave!” He bowed, “Thank you for taking care of me! I’m assuming Atsumu left already but I’ll thank him too!”

Sakusa scratched the back of his neck bashfully, “It’s really no problem, you were an excellent guest. I’ll see you next time at practice then?”

“Yup!” He replied before heading to the door. But before he exited, Sakusa had one more thing to say.

“Ah, Hinata?” Once he got his attention, Sakusa told him, “About some of the things I said the day I showed you that Atsumu powerpoint, please don’t take any of it too seriously. I had a...misunderstanding about Atsumu’s character but it’s cleared up now.”

Hinata nodded his head, “Don’t worry, I know Atsumu well enough I think, so I wasn’t too fazed by your comments.”

“Oh?” Sakusa teased with a small grin. “How can you be so sure?”

“I can feel it in my gut!”

“You sure that's not indigestion? That soup was a mean one.”

The two laughed good naturally, and then Sakusa waved him goodbye as Hinata left the apartment.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Hinata walked down the halls of the apartment complex, feeling lighter on his feet and that spring in his step that he lacked yesterday was back.

To be honest, his whole experience in Sakusa’s apartment felt like a fever dream. He could only remember bits and pieces of the night.

Like for example, before dinner he thinks Atsumu and Sakusa might have been watching “Hell’s Kitchen”? Or some other show that involved a lot of yelling in a kitchen.

He also recalls slightly regaining consciousness sometime during the night, feeling dazed and uncomfortable. Everything felt wrong, the room was too hot, his muscles felt weak, he wanted to just jump out of bed but just the thought of that made him dizzy. Luckily, Atsumu was there to help him calm down, seeing through his momentary confusion until Hinata had fallen back asleep. Hinata was glad to have such a kind and helpful teammate/friend by his side.

Unexpectedly, he was pulled into a vivid memory he didn’t know he had.

_Long sturdy fingers threaded with his, Atsumu’s thumb delicately stroking Hinata’s palm in comforting circular motions, treating him so delicately as if he was made of gold._

_Whispers of sweet nothings poured into his ear, and though he couldn’t recall a single word, he could still feel the warmth of the words seep into his body and that was good enough for him. After a hesitant pause, the bed shifts in weight as he feels Atsumu lean in, breath ghosting Hinata’s face and…_

  
  
  


_A pair of cool lips gently brushed against Hinata’s burning forehead, before slowly drifting away._

  
  
  


Ah, yes. How could he forget that? He stopped in the middle of the hallway as the memory continued to wash over him like waves crashing against the shore, during the calm before the storm.

  
  
  


Hinata’s face grew warm as a delicate rosy blush slowly crept up his face and his hand tightly gripped the front of his shirt as he felt his chest constrict.

  
  
  


_Oh._

  
  
  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I disappeared for months, and I’D DO IT AGAIN BAPBAPBAP
> 
> Haha he go blush that's fun right

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments, I'd really appreciate it!


End file.
